


Swan Town

by Emma_Swan



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Lesbian Sex, Romance, Smut, Swan Queen - Freeform, Swingtown - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-16
Updated: 2016-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-09 16:25:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4356134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma_Swan/pseuds/Emma_Swan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the quaint little town of Storybrooke, Maine, Regina Mills walks a fine line at the center of the social scene. Loved and loathed by many, it's no surprise she's all the residents can talk about. That is, until a newcomer, Emma, arrives, and catches Regina's interest. For better or worse, things begin to change, and their lives will never be the same again.</p><p>Inspired by Swingtown.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

On the hottest day of the year, it was tradition to throw a pool party that the neighbors would remember. These affairs were noisy and stretched long into the night. A crucial part of the event’s success involved pleasing everyone within a five-block radius. Fortunately, Regina Mills had something of a reputation for doing that, and because even the town’s law enforcement attended, she spent very little time worrying over silly things like noise complaints. Nevertheless, there always seemed to be one neighbor that she considered a risk, and that person required a personal invitation. 

The house next to hers changed hands summer after summer, and this year it so happened that the house was sold to a curious stranger who seemed out of place in the private community. Regina made it a point to approach the woman directly on the afternoon before the party; she sized Emma Swan up from a distance and then crossed the street in quick steps, wondering how much Emma knew about her and her quiet little town of Storybrooke, Maine. 

...

Emma, meanwhile, was lost in thought. Her new home was everything she’d ever dared to let herself dream for and yet… an entire week had passed and she still felt out of place. She spent mornings scouring shops and stores for things a home was already supposed to have. She organized and decorated to the best of her abilities until she felt exhausted or ventured to a bar. She was restless; and that was why, on such a warm afternoon, Emma walked through every room in her house, opened every cupboard, and finally found herself standing outside. Her pale hands came to rest on her hips as thumbs tucked themselves into her jeans pockets and she stared up at house. It looked good. Okay, maybe it could use a couple fresh licks of paint, but it wasn’t the paint that bothered her about the house. “I don’t get it.” She mumbled to herself with a disbelieving shake of her head. If this was everything she had wanted, then why did something still feel like it was missing? It didn’t feel right, not completely, but she chalked it up to residual guilt and the clawing fingers of paranoia that had her wonder if she’d ever relax enough to fit in such a town. Maybe she should buy some plants to stick around the garden. Emma pivoted to scrutinize her garden with a frown, as if it were the lawn’s fault. The expression on her face changed immediately to a confused smile as she caught sight of the woman walking towards her.

Regina flashed a charming smile and appraised her neighbor from head-to-toe, raising her eyebrows in delight. “Hi there,” she said. “My name’s Regina. I live next door. I meant to come by sooner, but your house is always dark.” She glanced over Emma’s shoulder at the house that some would consider too large for a single woman and wondered briefly if the newcomer was also a divorcee with kids.

“Hi,” Emma offered back with a slight head tilt. Regina didn’t appear threatening and certainly didn’t intimidate her, yet her fingers felt the need to busy themselves by fiddling with her shirt cuffs. The fact that Regina had noticed her house was usually dark made her pause. Emma’s gaze searched the woman’s face for any kind judgment before shrugging lightly. “Haven’t been home much. I like to learn a town when I move into it. Makes finding the bar and grocery store easier. I’m Emma.” She added, almost as an after thought, and extended her hand to Regina with a crooked smile.

“It’s nice to meet you," Regina replied. "And what have you learned about our little town so far? Are you finding you like it here?” She gave a warm chuckle and shaded her brow as she took in the sight of the empty flowerbeds and the landscape that had once been wild but was reluctantly allowing the new owner to tame it. She wanted to advise Emma about the garden, but she figured it would be premature to offer up any suggestions, though she saw her new friend eyeballing her property with the same look on her face that a woman gets when she realizes her hair needs tending. 

Regina licked her lower lip in thought. “I’m having a pool party tomorrow to celebrate the season, and I wanted to extend an invitation to you personally.” She batted her lashes, which were heavy with mascara and hung low over hungry, unfocused eyes. Her mother always thought she had a hungry look about her; it was one of many behaviors that Cora hated about her. Funny how her mother most loathed the traits she had unwittingly cultivated in her daughter. “So, are you free tomorrow evening?” she asked the younger woman. 

“Tomorrow? Really?” Emma might have been in her early twenties, but being asked to a party still made her feel like she was one of the cool kids. Maybe she’d picked the right town to settle down in after all. “Well thanks for the invite, I’m sure I’ll make it over. Is there…” She gave a half shrug as she waved one hand around. “You know, something I could bring? Wine or…” The look on her face said, whatever else you’d bring to a party, but what came out of her mouth was, “Pizza?” She huffed out a breathy laugh and rolled her eyes. She needed to relax. She needed to remember this town, this house, was now home. 

The sun beat down against Regina’s neck, and she found herself sliding a cool hand over the hot spot. She pushed at her cropped halter-top and moved under the cover of Emma’s porch. “That’s very kind of you, but you don’t have to bring anything. We always have plenty to eat and drink. Just bring yourself, and your swimsuit.” 

The scent of summer caught in the breeze and Emma inhaled deeply with a lazy smile. It would take a while, but she could get used to this. The sweet hints of flowers, the earthy tones of mowed grass, hell even the sound of crickets. Her green eyes widened imperceptibly when Regina joined her on the porch and she found her gaze wandering over her new neighbor's features. Perhaps because of the closeness, or the fact that her gaze lingered a little, Emma noticed the woman's small lip scar. Though it was impulse to ask about it, she swallowed it back. “My party etiquette is a little rusty,” Emma explained through a slight laugh.

Regina watched Emma toying with her shirtsleeves, and then asked, “May I?” but reached out to fold them up before she had a proper answer. Emma’s fidgeting and fussing reminded her of her son Henry. “Are you alone in this big house?” Regina asked. “It’s been hard to tell if anyone else has been coming or going. I assume you plan to entertain a lot. It’s such a big property. There’s so much you could do with it.”

Emma swallowed thickly, the tip of her tongue wet her lips in nervous abandon and she latched onto the conversation like it was a floatation device. “Uh, yeah actually, it’s just me. Don’t get me wrong I love that it’s big but I’m not really the entertaining type.” Emma scrunched her face up a little as she shook her head, but smiled regardless. It really was a big house. Maybe she should have bought something smaller but all her life, waiting on a family to want her, the idea of a big home had stuck. Even if she belatedly realized how incredibly lonely that could be when the only person to fill it was herself. With a roll of her shoulders she stuck her thumbs into her back pockets. “Right now all I want to do is live in it, but who knows, maybe I’ll get bored and creative.”

Regina shared an intense look with Emma, catching her eye and holding it while the newcomer continued staring at her scar. She sensed Emma’s interest in the tiny imperfection, and self-consciously bowed her head. Her posture changed then, and she folded her arms over and around herself. She gazed out across the street at her own home, which seemed almost alive to her in that moment; the residence had sad, desolate windows for eyes that traitorously hinted at her loneliness. “I, myself, live for entertaining. I hope that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, being that we’re neighbors.” She felt teary, and that made her grin wider and set her teeth in perfect, pearly rows. “Hey, Emma. I have an idea. Why don’t we do a little shopping together this afternoon? I know you’ve already done some exploring on your own, but I can give you the insider’s perspective… “ 

Whether due to Regina looking, or Emma’s natural curiosity, Emma gazed across the street at the woman’s home. It certainly looked spacious. It probably cost a fortune. Emma internally sighed as her mind went into old territory. She forced it back into the present as she grinned and confessed, “Would this insider's perspective include knowledge of where I could buy a swimsuit?” Emma narrowed her eyes as she sized Regina up and murmured as if she were swapping a secret. “See, I’ve just been invited to this cool party, and I don’t actually have one with me. I’d owe you one if you could help me.”

Not for the first time, Regina detected a faint trace of sadness in Emma’s face. She placed a hand on her neighbor’s wrist, and her smile shot up through her eyes. “I’d be happy to help you look, though there’s no better place than my own closet…” She linked arms with Emma and started out down the stone pathway that led to the road. “There’s a boutique in town that might have something that would be your style. Want to drive?”

Regina eagerly threw herself into the conversation as they walked, speaking animatedly about the house and complimenting its finer features. “You know, your new house is lovely,” she grinned. “And there are benefits to having a big house to yourself. Lots of peace and quiet, for one. And you can wander without any clothes on if you feel like it. In this summer heat, there are some days that I don’t feel like getting dressed at all.”

Emma released a deep sigh as she agreed with a nod, then glanced at her front door. “Yeah that’s…” Whatever else she might have said flew out of her mind as the rest of Regina’s words sank in and she turned to look at the woman. After a precarious moment she blinked and gazed across the street. Which didn’t exactly help the images Emma’s mind tried to create, because Regina’s house contained a lot of windows. “Mhh.” Emma raised her chin to take in the bright blue sky above. Her lips pressed together as she forced herself to process the facts she’d been given. “No, yeah, I could see why people would. Understandable in this kind of heat.” Emma had never wandered around naked. Clothes were like armor. As long as she had something on, she could run at a moment’s notice. Habits had a way of lingering. “So how long have you lived here? I get the impression once people settle down they never leave. At least that’s the sense I got from the waitress I talked to. Maybe you know her? Met her at the bar, and she said she works at the diner in town.”

“Ruby.” Regina scrunched her nose and tilted her head to the side as she envisioned the tall waitress; she wondered if Emma had been the one to ask for details about their small seaside hamlet, or if Ruby had served the facts up like an extra order of bacon. As for the Rabbit Hole – it attracted a motley crowd that Regina preferred to avoid. “A lot of thugs hang out in that bar. It’s not the safest place for a woman to go on her own. Ruby gets on well with the staff, otherwise I’m sure she’d find another hang-out…”

Information given freely was never to be sniffed at. Especially when it meant Emma didn’t have to answer questions about herself. Ruby had been nice enough, chattering away, and Emma had added the odd question into the mix. That kind of thing was normal for Emma. Witnessing a stranger show concern over where she might grab a drink? Not so much. 

Emma tilted her head ever so slightly and raised her eyebrows, bemused. “It’s not so bad, I’ve seen worse places.” And there, like the chalk outline of a dead body, lay the stark difference between them. Emma felt comfortable with the unsavory crowd. She fit in. On some level she found comfort in it, because at least for a little while she belonged somewhere. There was never an element of fear when she knew she could hold her own. Years of running meant she was fast on her feet just in case. 

“Worse places?” Regina echoed. 

At first, Emma hadn’t struck Regina as someone who could blend in with the crowd that frequented the Rabbit Hole, though she actually had little idea if the newcomer could stand up for herself in a fight; it was the energy Emma that exuded which made her reconsider - a natural air of confidence and toughness that most women in politer society lacked. The housewives in her circle walked differently, with tighter, nervous steps, and they were always concerned with the state of their makeup and hair. Emma’s strut reminded her of a man, and the long tangle of the woman’s gloriously gold curls dangled and waved and unfurled, at liberty to do whatsoever they pleased. 

The way Emma held herself reminded Regina of freedom, and all that Regina wanted as a young girl but found it impossible to obtain. 

Regina stood and attentively listened. She balanced on tiptoe to fix Emma’s collar, which had flipped up on one side, and then took the opportunity to get lost in the wide, friendly green eyes of the taller woman. “You intrigue me,” she confessed. “You must have a lot of stories to tell. You seem… very worldly.”

Regina’s touch froze Emma’s smile and she fought the urge to tense up any further than she already had. Slow, icy tendrils of panic coiled around her ankles and threatened to make her seize up, but Regina’s confident, mischievous smile and the dark eyes under the woman’s long lashes prohibited it. 

“Nah,” Emma muttered uneasily.

Regina came to a stop alongside Emma and frowned as she picked up on the woman’s tension. “You know, I probably have a swim suit that will fit you, if you’re not feeling up to taking the trip into town.”

Emma let out a quiet laugh as she tried to relax. “I never raid the closet of someone I met that day. The last time I got stuck moving all the skeletons.”

“Skeletons?” Regina laughed. “Oh, no, dear. You needn’t worry about that with me. You see, my skeletons are all out in the open. From time to time, you’ll see them walking around town….” With a touch of disdain in her expression, Regina flicked her eyelashes towards her home, and then went with Emma in the opposite direction, pleased to see that the woman was already going for the keys of her vehicle. 

Emma swallowed nervously and looked down at Regina. Her palms were sweating and her shoulders uncomfortably stiff. 

Regina caught Emma staring at their linked arms and released the woman, giving her a gentle but brief rub on the shoulder and an insightful, apologetic look. “You don’t like it when people touch you,” she suddenly realized. “Emma, I’m sorry.” She often forgot that normal people drew boundaries; she never learned the concept of personal space, and she supposed she had her upbringing to thank for that. Mother’s hands were always on her – fussing with buttons, plucking at her flaws and punishing every last rebellious or disagreeable part of her. If she pleased her mother, praise was likewise meted out by hand – in soft caresses that made Regina feel worthy. 

Perhaps that is why she again experienced the urge to put out her hand to soothe Emma, even after she knew it was the source of the woman’s distress. In the end she managed to restrain herself, quite literally – she eased into the Volkswagen and fastened her seatbelt. “Your car is… cozy,” she remarked, and risked a glance in Emma’s direction. “Are you alright?” 

The effortless way Regina could invade her space should have been alarming to Emma, except every time it happened a little gesture went with it. Fixing her collar was a friendly, acceptable even. The way green eyes locked with the dark expressive ones gazing back wasn’t entirely on the same scale. There was curiosity there, intrigue, and Emma felt like she could find something new in the woman’s gaze the longer she looked. There was a grace to Regina that Emma couldn’t help but admire- - she didn’t walk, she glided. Every move she made appeared fluid. Poised. She held herself with the kind of confidence that someone comfortable in their own skin possessed. Her very presence demanded attention and Emma had to admit, it was quite striking.

The oddest sensation of loss washed over Emma when Regina took her hand back and gave her some space. Suddenly the air around her no longer held the faint traces of Regina’s perfume and she wondered why that even mattered. Instinctively Emma pushed her thumbs into her pockets and shrugged. “It’s okay, no harm done..” Eyebrows arched as she smiled at Regina. Regina wasn’t a threat to her, and even if she was, the height difference would work in Emma’s favor. Longer reach. On impulse Emma lifted her hand to lightly pat Regina’s shoulder, albeit awkwardly as she reassured her gently. “Really, it’s fine. New, but nice.” Like everything in town, apparently.

Once inside the car, Emma resisted the urge to snort and turned the key to bring the engine to life. With a teasing smile she narrowed her eyes at Regina and quirked a golden eyebrow. “You think my car is cozy? Is that your polite way of saying small? And here I was thinking that in such a quaint, small town, size wouldn’t matter.” 

“For the record,” Regina smirked, “size always matters…” With a flirtatious wink, she propped her elbow up on the ledge inside of the window and kicked back in her seat.

Emma buckled up and let out a soft chuckle. “I felt drawn to it, to be honest. Maybe it was the color, but my bug is the best car I’ve ever had.” The words were barely out as Emma tapped the dashboard like the thing was a sentient pet. “So, Storybrooke. Have you lived here long?”

“I was born here,” Regina explained, although her voice sounded strangled and it was her turn to tense. “I did leave, once—I went to college in New York. But my family has always exerted a certain influence over my life. My mother did all that was in her power to bring me back.”

“I never had to worry about parents dictating my every move once I was an adult. One of the benefits of being an orphan.” Though it had been said in jest, Emma let out a sigh and shrugged. 

“You’re an orphan.” Regina’s lips puckered around the words as if she had a tart sucking candy tucked under her tongue and she needed to speak around it; she fluttered her eyelashes rapidly and once again rested a reassuring hand on Emma’s arm. “What was that like? Growing up must have been difficult.” Her dangling earrings swung against her neck as she bent her head forward and toyed with the hem on her shorts, picturing a baby Emma left to her own devices in a crib somewhere. Emma might be one of those cases she read about – an unloved child who went stiff whenever anyone held her, thanks to her mother’s original neglect. 

“Yeah, I guess,” Emma muttered noncommittally, then changed the subject. “What about you? Sounds rocky with your family. Why do they want you to stay here? Where did you go when you left?”

To take the heat off of Emma, Regina replied, “Rocky is one way of describing my relationship with my family. My mother always expected me to follow this plan she had for my life, and part of that plan involved being queen of the social scene here in Storybrooke. Oh, and I did become queen, but I accomplished that all on my own, by doing what I want. Mother doesn’t approve.” 

Emma thought Regina’s mother sounded like a bitch, but given that she’d never even met the woman and barely knew Regina, some things were better left unsaid. Emma stole a glance at Regina, amusement obvious in her tone. “So let me get this straight. You’re queen of this town, you figured out how to get what you want, and you went to college?” The corners of Emma's mouth curved downwards as she tilted her head with a bit of a nod. As if assessing mentally how she felt about it. “For what it’s worth I approve, and I’m not just saying that. Not everybody has the guts to go after what they want and accomplish it on their own terms. Nobody can take that away from you.”

Regina sat up perfectly straight and cast a coy look at Emma, as her new friend praised her ability to keep the townspeople on their knees before her. “There are many people who would like to take it away from me,” she remarked. “They’ll talk your ear off if you’ll listen to them. But I don’t let myself worry about it. They all show up to my parties anyway.” The hypocrites not only attended the parties, but also spoke highly of her within earshot while gossiping behind her back; they loved to speculate about her private interests and to chat about her divorce. No one knew the truth about what had happened between her and her husband James, and she preferred it that way, because the rumors were no match for the actual story. Her eyes glazed over as she stared out the window for a moment and held in her breath. She rolled down the window to let the breeze fly through her hair and placed her hands in her lap, where she wrung them together. “Enough about me,” she husked. Tell me about your life. What was it like growing up?”

One of two things always happened whenever Emma brought the orphan topic up. People either took pity, which she loathed with every fiber of her being, or they simply accepted it. Regina’s questions weren’t pitying, they were curious, and Emma almost felt a little relieved. Long fingers curled tighter around the wheel, until knuckles turned white. “It was like…” Crying alone in the dark wishing your parents would find you and take you home. It was growing older, hungry and afraid. It was like being the unwanted gift at a party that kept getting handed back. It was the feeling of worthlessness that clung to her skin every morning she woke up from a nightmare. “Let’s just say if life’s taught me anything, it’s how to…” Survive?

“Adapt to change.”

Regina’s brows were knitted together in concern as Emma made vague reference to formidable years spent “adapting to change” – the way the woman described it made her think of tiny lizards that shifted colors to hide from predators, or any number of creatures with a defensive mechanism. She wondered what skills Emma had developed to survive in the no doubt hostile environments she lived in as a child. As a further testament to Regina’s inability to keep her hands to herself, she leaned forward and once again found a ready excuse for touching Emma. The newcomer’s hair was ruffled and windblown, and Regina offered her a wistful smile as she fixed it, raking her long fingers through wild yellow curls. “I’m sorry you went through that, but those skills are useful, especially in this town.” 

Emma’s thighs tensed in synchronization with her fingers around the wheel as Regina brushed her hair. Though it was fleeting, she flashed a lopsided smile towards the woman in thanks.

Regina let her eyes dart to the road and the places that she most expected to see her enemies. “The monsters here…the skeletons… they have ways of fooling you. They look like ordinary people, but they’re not the same inside. Be mindful of that.” With her quiet warning delivered, she turned her attention to the signs on the buildings and pointed out a little boutique that was conveniently located beside the ice cream parlor. 

With a quiet exhale, Emma relaxed her grip and kept her eyes on the road as she listened. The hushed warning only sank in when Emma had parked the car. It took her mind a moment to erase the image of dancing skeletons and beasts and boogeymen to realize that Regina hadn’t meant real monsters. Yet she still glanced into the rearview mirror half expecting to see Scooby Doo scamper off in hot pursuit of something. Emma pulled her keys out of the ignition and shook her head; a few strands of blonde hair fell into her vision and she absently pushed it back behind an ear. “I’ve experienced those sorts of people before. If you could point them out to me so I can avoid them, that would be great.”

Regina fiddled nervously with her fingers and then flung open the door of the Volkswagen. She leaned into sunshine metal of the vehicle and waited for Emma to join her, although she was having trouble composing herself; she blinked away some quick forming tears and threw up a grin, which looked like a last minute decoration thrown up at an event – a smile worn as an afterthought, a thin draping that hid an emotion much less attractive. “I’ll do what I can. Ultimately, it’s your judgments of people that will matter most.”

Emma watched Regina blink back her emotions and frowned. “Is everything okay?” She inquired softly, then cast a glance around to see how many people were on the streets. Entirely too many to have a personal conversation. Especially when she had no idea if any of those skeletons were near. 

“I’m fine.” Regina flicked her dark bang out of her face, but also kept her chin down and stared at the gravel rather than allow Emma to glimpse the emotions that sparked in her eyes like distress flares on dark ground.

“I’m a pretty good judge of character.” Emma said after a moment, and turned to look at Regina with a slight shrug. “Built in lie detector, not much gets by me.” It had helped her more times than she could count, but in a small nowhere town like Storybrooke, how much would she really need to use it?

Regina smiled tightly and leaned on Emma, deciding to give up on her attempts to stay out of her friend’s immediate zone of personal space. With speed in her step, she linked arms with Emma and guided her new friend into the boutique. “You need a bikini,” she stated, reaching for the first rack where bright suits were hanging. “Polka dots? Stripes? What about this red little number?” She snagged a red string bikini from the shelf and squinted, trying to imagine Emma wearing it. 

Emma was brought out of her thoughts with the gentle weight of Regina’s arm as it linked with her own. “Do I?” She asked, vaguely surprised but more amused than anything else as she stepped inside the boutique to witness Regina already strumming through the different swim suits. “Uh…” Polka dots weren’t really her thing, but stripes she could work with. “Red?” Confident color. Bold. It could inspire lust or warn of danger. Versatile. That seemed best. If she wanted to fit in with the crowd she had to dress the part, didn’t she? “Sure, why not. I can always wander around the house in it on the days it’s too warm.”

With pale fingers, Emma plucked the bikini from Regina’s grasp and raised it to eye level so she could scrutinize it. There wasn’t a whole lot of material but she figured that was the point. “Yeah, this’ll do.” She lowered the hanger to smile crookedly at Regina. “Thank you. Not just for helping me with this but for inviting me to your party. You didn’t have to do that.” Emma wasn’t the kind of girl used to browsing for clothes. The way her hand fished out her wallet to thumb it open spoke volumes. “Is there a time I should come over or do I just show up whenever?”

“You’re always welcome to pop in whenever you want, but the party officially starts at five.” Regina took a quick stroll around the boutique to look at the other options, but Emma seemed to have made up her mind.

Regina and Emma spent the afternoon walking the main strip of the town. 

Regina lifted her face to the sun and soaked in the warming rays, then tied up the ends of her shirt when she started to feel hot. 

Out on the street the sun caused Emma’s face to scrunch up and she squinted for a second before adjusting to the brightness. Why had she not grabbed her shades? They were in the glove compartment, how could she have forgotten? Her green eyes averted to the road as Regina tied the ends of her shirt, and watched as people walked by, quite content in their little town. Well, it was her little town now too, wasn’t it? Eventually she wouldn’t have to remind herself of that.

A soft breeze rustled the trees as the pair came to a stop outside of a diner. “Want to get a soda?” Regina asked.

“Sure,” Emma shrugged, “why not.” Soda sounded good right about now. It was getting unbearably warm.

Regina led the way into the crowded restaurant and sank down in a booth by the window. 

The other customers shot curious glances in their direction, and their gazes lingered on Emma, who would no doubt become a favorite topic of town gossip by later that afternoon.

The shift in atmosphere felt like a cool blast of air against Emma’s heated face and her shoulders stiffened. She stood up straighter, full height on display as she followed Regina to the booth and sank heavily into the padded seat across from her. Long, denim covered legs stretched out beneath the table while hands splayed across the cold surface. Once she was comfortable she leaned back and brought one arm up to rest her elbow against the top of the seat, her hand dangled in an almost jovial manner.

“I somehow figured you’d get your hooks into the new girl.” Ruby appeared from behind the counter and clutched her pen and paper. She seemed amused rather than serious, and hurried off again before Regina could request the drinks she mentioned to Emma. 

With two glasses of iced tea in hand, Ruby returned to the booth and drew up a seat. She met Emma earlier in the week and had seen her at the diner twice after their initial meeting, but Emma was still a mystery to her. 

“It’s nice to have a new friend,” Regina admitted. She sat with perfect posture and sipped her iced tea without complaint. “Emma is coming to the party tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah?” Ruby grinned. “I’m guessing you told her what to expect.” She ripped open a packet of sugar and added it to another glass of iced tea, which Granny plopped down in front of her with a wink. 

“Not yet.” Regina pursed her lips around her straw, and placed her manicured hand on top of Emma’s hand. “The guests… I invite usually like to do a little adult mingling, but it’s completely optional.” 

Emma got distracted, studying Regina’s hands, which were so different from her own. Regina's skin was smooth, her nails polished and perfectly shaped, while the skin of Emma’s hand was rougher, her nails were bitten short and the odd scar dotted the skin. 

Regina’s explanation about the party evoked a soft snort as Emma leaned forward to sip at her drink. “No offense, but isn’t every party that doesn’t include children classified as adult mingling?” The corners of Emma’s lips curved downward as she shrugged, clearly missing the point.

Regina relaxed against the vinyl leather booth and bit down on her bottom lip in amusement. She chose to keep her mouth shut rather than enlighten Emma about her definition of ‘adult mingling.’ Her eyes rolled towards the window and she zoned out for a moment, listening to the din of the establishment and the bells that jangled whenever anyone left or entered. With her straw held between her teeth, she sipped her tea and watched Emma with hooded eyes. She wondered how Emma might react on the following day when she informed Emma that many of the partygoers would be headed downstairs to her sex den. There was little doubt in her mind that Emma would refrain from participating in the evening activities, and for some odd reason, that made Regina feel less inclined to partake. 

Emma toyed with her straw and glanced at Ruby, “Hey you wouldn’t happen to know if the Sheriff is in later, would you? I tried last night but there was no sign of him.” She lifted the glass so she could sip and simultaneously chew the end of the straw.

“The Sheriff is a hard man to track down.” Ruby’s wolfish smile spread into a wide grin, and she gave Regina a knowing look. “Won’t he be at the party tomorrow? He always shows up for the free food, and the scraps you serve afterwards…” 

Emma tuned out the moment she heard ‘hard to track down.’ Not out of disinterest, but because her attention diverted to the tables around them. Most people hurriedly shifted to intently watch their plates, and those that didn’t? Emma watched right back, until they inevitably looked away. A tactic she’d learned quite quickly growing up. Satisfied, Emma turned back towards the table and quirked an eyebrow. What did Ruby mean by scraps? 

Regina shot the waitress a dark glare of warning and folded her hands neatly in front of her. “We’ll see,” she husked darkly. “Emma, if you’re finished, we should probably get going…” She should have thought better than to bring her new neighbor into town, among so many ravenous gossipmongers; the old ladies at the next table were bent conspiratorially close to each other as they sized up Emma. They looked like a group of molting pigeons with small beady eyes and beaks that were made for bickering. 

Emma had barely swallowed the last mouthful of tea before she was being guided back outside into the street. She managed to slap some change on the table as she passed and hoped to hell it covered the drinks. Though, as the door shut behind them, she could have sworn she heard Ruby laugh.

With a spring in her step, Regina ushered Emma towards her car. “I think I’m going to stay in town for a little while,” she explained. “You should head back, and I’ll see you tomorrow evening. Oh, and Emma? Thank you for this afternoon.” 

“No, yeah, it was nothing. Thank you for the help.” Emma finally managed to get out. 

Regina flashed her brightest smile, tidied Emma’s shirt one more time, and then left her standing alone on the street, a bit bewildered at the sudden brush off.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby hadn’t been lying. Twice, Emma had driven down to the sheriff station that night and twice the Sheriff wasn’t there. Nobody was there. Except the short drunk guy snoring in one of the cells.

Damn it, how did a town function with only one guy upholding the law? And how did anybody even get ahold of him? Despite it being frustrating, Emma reasoned they were two points in her favor for arguing that she wanted the deputy position. Granted she had no experience, but she could read people, she could take care of herself, and she sure as hell wasn’t taking the receptionist job she’d found in the local paper.

The bag with her bikini that had been patiently waiting all day got tossed aside when she eventually crawled into bed. The next day she’d completely forgotten about it, until her foot caught on the plastic as she stumbled, half asleep on her way to the bathroom.

The day went faster than she’d expected, and though she tried to eat something, her stomach had been churning with too many nerves. An anxious glance at the clock told her it was ten to seven and she sighed heavily and turned to regard herself in the mirror. Well, the swimsuit certainly fit. Emma quickly stepped into the black jeans she’d spread over her bed, and pushed her feet into her boots while she tugged on a black shirt. She didn’t exactly know the dress code, but she’d at least make an effort to look good at her new neighbor’s party.

It wasn’t until she was halfway up Regina’s drive that she realized her mistake. In a sea of color she was going to be the inky blot. So much for fitting in. Even as Emma reached the door she hesitated. She considered going back to change her shirt or something, then snorted. That wasn’t going to happen. With a slow deep breath, Emma knocked on the door then stuck her hands into her back pockets to stop them from fidgeting. “Hey,” she muttered with a smile.

Regina greeted her in a flouncy chevron print dress, which was sheer enough to give a view of her shapely physique and plunged at the neckline, calling attention to what barely remained hidden under her clothing. She had swept her hair back from her face in a clip, and applied a deep wine color to her mouth, which stood out against her bronze skin. “It’s about time you showed up. Come in and dance with me.”

Emma’s green eyes travelled down the dress then snapped back up when Regina spoke. The corner of Emma’s mouth twitched into a half grin. “Were you starting to think I wasn’t going to show up?” Amusement radiated off of Emma as she shrugged lightly and took her hands out of her pockets to wave in front of her. “I’m not much of a dancer until I’ve got a drink in me, but since you’re the host how can I refuse?” The gentle tease rolled off her tongue as she met another woman’s gaze.

Behind Regina stood a curious-looking blonde with a pale arm slung tightly around the hostess’ waist. “You must be Emma,” she concluded with an all-knowing smile. “I’m Kathryn. Let me go grab you a drink.” She squeezed Regina’s exposed shoulder and then disappeared into the milling crowd.

Emma cocked her head slightly and wondered what Regina had said about her, or if everyone would look at her the same way Kathryn did simply because she was an outsider. The offer of a drink sounded great, and Emma knew she’d need a few to survive with all the curious questions about to be thrown her way.

With a soft smile that spread outward into a shy grin, Regina beckoned Emma inside and led her towards an empty space where she could circle her arms around her new friend without falling under immediate scrutiny.  
Emma had to consciously stop herself from looking around. Force of habit really, to see who was around, but she squashed it as soon as Regina’s arms found her.

The fast beat of the music sent Regina stepping around Emma, and she laughed at the conclusion to the dance. “There, that counts as your official initiation. It’s a rule that I dance with all my guests.”

By the end of it Emma was grinning. “Initiation huh? Well that was pretty easy. I passed, right?”

“Not yet,” Regina quietly replied. She drifted out to the lounges on the patio, where Kathryn met them with cocktails poured into coconut shells.

Emma’s long fingers collected the offered cocktail from Kathryn with a grateful smile and she indulged by taking a few sips through the straw. Whatever it was, it was delicious, at least if her soft noise of surprise was anything to go by.

A few couples were swimming in the pool, but many more were dipping their feet or resting on the sidelines with their drinks. But most of partygoers had begun to wander off, and Regina knew her guests were already descending the stairs to the basement.

A scruffy-looking man with a boyish grin sank down on the bench beside Regina and dried himself off with a towel. “I haven’t seen you in the pool and you still seem sober. Are you getting soft on me?” he joked, his cheeks dimpling as he smiled.

“I was just keeping my new neighbor company. Emma, this is Graham, the town sheriff. Graham, meet Emma. Graham’s not very good at what he does, but he makes up for it with those dimples.” Regina shed her outer dress and stretched out to bask in the last of the summer day’s sun. She ran her thumbs underneath the strings of her bikini bottoms, carefully adjusting them.

“Don’t make me throw you in the pool,” Graham remarked, and then squinted over at Emma. “So, tell us your story. What brings you to Maine, of all places?”

“Hm?” Emma shifted on the bench as the guy sat down at the other end, and cast a curious glance towards Regina. “So you’re the Sheriff…” Emma blinked, and tried to ignore Regina fixing her swimsuit in her peripheral vision the best she could. “I’ve been trying to get ahold of you for days.”

Her eyes narrowed as she considered asking to speak with him privately, but why bother? Small town life meant everyone would know about it the next day anyway. “Seemed like a nice town to settle down in.” Emma expertly deflected and then pounced on the conversation before he had the chance to ask anything else. “You know there aren’t many jobs here, and it seems that the only one that would really benefit the whole town is the deputy position. I’ve been trying to apply since I moved in last week.” Emma offered a slight smile, in an effort to avoid seeming presumptuous. “You think I could maybe get an interview sometime this month?”

Regina played with the slice of pineapple on the rim of her drink and then bit down on the tart fruit, using her tongue to roll the flavor around in her mouth. She thought of Emma in a deputy’s uniform and her eyebrow quirked in reflex while she continued to nurse her cocktail.

“We don’t see a lot of action around here,” Graham admitted. “I’ve never had the need for a deputy, even though it’s in the budget.” He stole the maraschino cherry from the top of the stake in Regina’s drink. “I guess I could bring you on – that is, if you know how to play darts. I’ve been looking for a worthy opponent.”

Emma’s gaze flickered to Regina. Her lips quirked into a grin and she gave Regina a look that asked if Graham was for real. “Well look no further.” Emma stated, and turned her attention back to the Sheriff as she placed her hand against her chest and added, “You found one.” Hell, she could toss a few darts if it meant she got the deputy position. Without any qualifications to back her up she knew she had to talk her way into the job. It shouldn’t be hard, and she figured with such a sleepy little town Graham probably wouldn’t give a damn so long as she was good company at the office.

Kathryn glanced around the patio and noticed the slow migration of the party. “Everyone is going downstairs,” she laughed. “Last year, they at least waited until after the fireworks.” She went to grab a pitcher to refresh her friends’ cocktails and then sat down on the edge of the pool to dangle her feet in the water.

Emma glanced curiously towards the people that were headed inside, but rather than ask why, she focused on the most important part of what Kathryn had said. “You have fireworks?” She asked excitedly. Sure it might have seemed silly but she’d always loved watching the damn things explode into brilliant colors and sparkling light.

Regina smirked to herself and slipped away from Emma, who was so oblivious, she found it endearing. She dove into the rippling deep end of the pool and then glared back at her guests. “Are you coming in?” she asked, although whatever answer they gave was muffled when a tall man with sandy hair snuck up on her and pushed her underwater. She surfaced coughing, and smacked Whale on the arm for the unexpected attack.

Whale laughed and pretended to be innocent, but Regina gave him a scathing look and swam towards Emma. “Come in now,” she husked. “Or I’m going to splash you.”

“Better do as Regina says,” Graham suggested. “I’ll give you a call on Monday and we can set up a formal interview.”

Emma snorted at Graham’s insistence that she listen to the woman. “See you on Monday, Sheriff.” She spared him a casual glance before her gaze landed back on Regina treading water. Normally, Emma would have been a bit more reserved, a little shy perhaps at getting into a pool surrounded by so many strangers. Yet Regina’s dark gaze demanded all of her attention and Emma allowed the pleasurable warmth of alcohol to rid her of any hesitance. It’s why she’d bought the bikini, wasn’t it? The pool party.

With an amused shake of her head, Emma’s fingers went to her shirt, and her eyes landed back on Regina as she popped the first button free. The music that floated through the air had a good beat, and whether intentional or not, Emma’s hips moved subtly to it as did her head as she opened the rest of her shirt and slid it off of her shoulders to pool behind her and fall from her hands. What the hell was she doing? Since when did she grin as she undressed in public? Emma chalked it up to the good atmosphere and the alcohol, which she also blamed for the rush of heat that washed over her when her fingers clasped her belt and unbuckled it.

The funny thing was, for a girl that happened to be aware of people's gazes on her, the only one Emma could feel was Regina’s. Whoever else watched as she unzipped her pants and kicked off her boots was lost to her. The black fabric slid them down her long legs with the help of her thumbs and she stepped out of them with a grin to saunter forward and get into the pool.

Regina pouted angrily at Emma until her neighbor was within arm’s reach. “Do you need another drink? My goal tonight is to get you drunk enough to tell me all of your secrets…”

“I’m keeping my secrets.” Emma teased, all while realizing she meant what she said completely. “But I wouldn’t say no to another drink.” The water was surprisingly warmer than she’d expected and she hummed in approval as Regina came closer.

Mischief sparkled in Emma’s green eyes. It was the only warning she gave before cupping her palm and slapping the water to splash Regina. Impulsively she backed off as she laughed, so that Regina couldn’t throttle her.

“So where’s everybody going?” Emma asked curiously, and motioned with a nod towards some other guests giggling and wandering towards the house. “Secret cult?” Obviously she didn’t think that but she raised her eyebrows all the same and smirked.

Regina swam in laps around the pool, circling Emma like a shark on the verge of striking; she was just as ravenous and restless in that moment, but the exercise helped her avoid behaving provocatively. She chuckled and scrunched her nose playfully as she placed both hands on Emma’s shoulders. “My guests are on their way down to the basement,” she explained softly, with a meaningful squint of her doe eyes. “There are a lot of candles down there to set the mood, but not for the reason you’ve guessed. I host these parties for couples and singles that are interested in a little adult play.” She searched for any sign that her revelation had disturbed Emma, and stroked the younger woman’s cheek in affectionate reassurance. “It’s all in good fun. There are rules that everyone who participates must follow. I’m not irresponsible.”

Emma’s eyebrows arched as Regina filled her in on the kind of activities her party involved. Belatedly, the conversation from yesterday at the diner clicked into place in her mind, and Ruby’s little dig about Graham evoked a slight laugh. “No wonder I could never get a hold of the Sheriff. Someone must enjoy spending his days sleeping off his nights.” It was said in jest but Emma still rolled her eyes despite the lopsided smirk she shot towards him standing with his friends, oblivious to being discussed.

Regina’s gaze flew sideways, tracking after the women and men that disappeared into her home and descended the staircase to the private den. “You can peek your head in later if you’d like,” she suggested. “But don’t let my guests pressure you into joining them.”

The notion of peeking inside did spark Emma’s curiosity if only to actually glimpse at what went on in there, but then, as her cheeks reddened, she realized she already knew. “Yeah uhm, maybe later. We’ll see.”

It wasn’t as if Emma had lived a sheltered life; she’d known about these sorts of parties and though she’d never actually attended one until now, she held no judgment. “What consenting adults do with consenting adults is their business.” She asserted with a nod of her head, her chin dunked into the water and her gaze followed the backs of a few people evidently going to the basement for some fun of their own. “So, this playroom, you’ve had it a long time? What are the rules?” It was a casual question cloaked in curiosity as Emma’s green eyes followed Regina as the woman swam around her. A shiver coursed down her back, and it had nothing to do with being cold. The warm night air smelled of cooking food and the sweet herbal scents of people enjoying themselves, and the water surrounding her was the perfect temperature.

Regina casually played with the gold strap on her bikini top. “Is that your way of asking me how long I’ve been sleeping with most of the town?” she chuckled. “I’ve had the room since I bought the house in ’73, but don’t get any wrong ideas. I’m quite selective about who I take to bed, in spite of what you might hear about me.” Regina shook droplets of water from her hair and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the guests that were staring at her from the poolside. “The first rule is precisely that—consent from anyone who wishes to play,” she explained offhandedly. “Any and all substances that participants wish to consume can be indulged in only after consent is given. Beyond that, everyone knows there will be consequences for misbehavior. This is meant to be a safe place to explore sexual desires. The few that disrespected my rules in the past were never invited back.” Her effortless smile became strained, and a vein rose into view on her forehead. To break the tension, she stepped in close to Emma and tucked a stray curl behind her friend’s ear. “But don’t be in a rush, tiger.”

“I’m not in any hurry.” Emma stated softly, incredibly conscious of Regina’s light touch against her ear and neck.

The thought of Emma in the arms of any one of her friends set off unpleasant feelings in Regina’s stomach, which popped angrily like the fireworks that were exploding overhead. She winced at the idea of hands in Emma’s hair, grasping at sweaty gold curls and forcefully clutching on while the young woman moved in a quickened rhythm, rocking back and forth with a lover whose face Regina refused to picture. “Come,” she commanded, taking Emma’s hand and pulling her new friend to the far side of the pool, where fewer people were swimming. “We’ll have some peace and quiet over here.”

She batted her long, flirty eyelashes and smiled wide enough that her scar made it look like she had a crack in her face – a chip out of an otherwise smooth surface. “There are so many stars out tonight,” she observed. “Do you see the dragon in the sky? There’s a star that’s part of that constellation which, in ancient times, was believed to be the doorway between the mortal world and all of eternity.” She shut one eye and tucked her tongue between her teeth in concentration as she tried to trace her finger over the shape of the constellation.

Emma tipped her head back to gaze at the stars, and widened her eyes as she uttered excitedly, “Wait, there’s a dragon?” She she couldn’t resist leaning closer to Regina in order to follow her pointing. “Wow, I never knew…” Emma’s tone was one of awe and her words were breathy as she turned to grin brightly at Regina. “You’re just full of interesting things to learn, aren’t you?” It wasn’t a question so much as an observation.

“Perhaps.” With a hint of bashfulness in her smile, Regina caught Emma in a loose embrace. “Do you want to play a game with me?” she asked. “I’m not interested in the play room this evening, but I do like to be entertained. It’ll be just the two of us.”

Emma turned more fully to face Regina; their feet moved under the water, never touching yet so aware of where one another seemed to be. “Why am I not surprised you like games?” Emma teased lightly, and hummed low in her throat. “I don’t know. Is there a prize for the winner?”

Regina laughed richly, and realized how her proposal must have struck Emma. “A prize? Oh—I don’t mean a game like that, dear. It’s… a game I’ve always played in my head. The way it works is that I make up a story about you, and you tell me if my story is right. Then you make up a story about me, and so on. It’s a fun way to get to know more about each other.”

Clearly, even with the knowledge of what kind of party this was, Emma hadn’t even factored in the possibility of Regina’s offer being anything intimate. So when Regina went on to make sure no misunderstandings had taken place, Emma found herself laughing with her. It was infectious, really, the laid back nature of it. Though Emma did pause to deliver a scrutinizing look as her gaze swept over Regina’s features, as if calculating how best to proceed with the game or if it was too risky. Oh it probably was, but that only added to the fun of it, right? “Hmm…” Emma released a soft sigh and licked her lips nervously. “Okay, let’s play this game of yours, but whatever we learn we keep between us. I don’t want my personal life making its way through the grapevine.” Storybrooke might be a quiet little town, but the gossip in it sure wasn’t. “Deal?”

Regina stood on her tiptoes so that she matched her friend’s height. “You have a deal,” she promised. “Unlike most people in this town, I can keep a secret.”

“I bet you can.” Emma rumbled, amused. Secrets were never things Emma enjoyed to collect, and yet the sparkle in Regina’s eyes said the woman might enjoy it very much. If ever there was a time to be guarded, this was it. Yet Emma shrugged lightly and smiled back playfully as Regina began her assessment.

“I’m going to begin your story with the obvious,” Regina whispered. “You’re a lone wolf—someone who doesn’t settle down easily. I bet you’ve had romantic entanglements in the past, but maybe only one romance—one love affair that’s made a lasting impression, for better or for worse. I assume that you can’t dance, and not because you lack the grace, but because no one’s ever taught you. You seem clumsy, but also like the kind of girl who can change her own tires. You’re capable, and probably a little bit stubborn. How am I doing so far?”

Parts were indeed obvious, and parts weren’t quite right at all, but Emma kept that all to herself as she watched Regina’s features and the way her lips formed her opinions. Truth be told the word ‘affair’ set her teeth on edge, but it had nothing to do with romance and she let her fingers twitch in response at biting her tongue.

“Well, I am a loner, and stubborn. I can even change a tire, but romance?” Emma snorted lightly, and cast her gaze towards the opposite end of the pool as her shoulders raised slightly then fell. “Let’s see…” She breathed, and turned in the water to face Regina as if seeing her for the first time. Emma looked at her thoughtfully then inched towards the edge of the pool just so she could reach out and touch the side. “My turn. I’m guessing you’re an only child.” She began quietly, gazing at Regina from beneath her lashes. “You’re used to being the center of attention but that’s not where you like to be.” With a slight tilt of head Emma viewed the party, then straightened up to nod to herself. “You’re more at home on the side lines, watching everyone else. Learning what makes them tick. You went to college, so you’re smart. You like the sense of adventure and the opportunities to explore things. It’s probably why you throw lavish parties and have a playroom but…” Emma’s lips quirked slightly, the barest hint of a smile as she pushed closer to Regina. “Your touches are subtle, caring. I think family means a lot to you, it’s why you treat people like they’re part of yours. How was that?” Emma asked with a crooked grin. “Was I even close?”

Regina held still until Emma blinked rapidly and shuffled backwards; then she crossed her arms and shivered. Emma’s spot-on study of her was unsettling, but she was pulled out of her reflections by the way her new friend confidently came back her personal space. Her eyes flashed back and forth in excitement, although she barely registered what Emma muttered. “I have a step-sister actually,” she managed to rasp out. “Once, I wanted to lead a very quiet existence, but now I find my role in this town empowering. But, you are right. If I could’ve escaped this life, I might have gone off in search of adventure. Family does mean everything to me. It’s one of the reasons I stayed.” It was a lie, but one she told well – and with a deceptively large grin to ward off any doubts Emma might have.

“My turn,” Regina continued, as she climbed the steps to get out of the pool and reached for a towel to wrap around her dripping body. “I think you’re full of mischief. You were probably covered head-to-toe in dirt as a child, and always getting into something you shouldn’t have. But you must have gotten away with a lot because you’re… well, cute. Am I right? Are you trouble, Ms. Swan?”

Emma watched the water ripple with every step Regina made up the steps. The sight of the woman, dripping wet and shimmering under the lights and the stars above was hypnotizing, and Emma followed after her, captivated and hanging on her every word. “I might be.” Emma quipped, evidently coy at the remark about mischief. Instead of walking up the steps, she slapped her palms against the outside of the pool and raised herself up to climb over the edge. “You’re right about me being covered in dirt. I think I spent the majority of my childhood running about outside.” The corners of Emma’s lips quirked upwards, and though her eyes lit up with childish glee, they then darkened as the smile slipped away like the droplets of water running down her skin. “You’d think, right?” Emma shook her head and snagged one of the towels set aside for those who ventured into the pool. “I never got away with anything.” It was a casual remark as she began to dry herself. Perhaps too casual. Though her natural instinct was to immediately grab her clothes and cover herself up, she faltered and glanced towards Regina.

Regina seemed in no rush to slip into her clothes and so Emma shrugged lightly, a grin tugging at her lips as she caught the woman’s dark eyes. “Trouble?” Emma smirked, “You have no idea. So, do I get a tour of this place or should I just wander off at random when you’re not looking?”

“You want a tour?” Regina muttered in a low, gravelly voice. “Of course. I’ll give you a private tour.” Regina studied Emma with bedroom eyes, and a slow smile spread on her lips as she stepped in front of her new neighbor and led the way through the house. From the patio, she went into the living room, where art deco hung on the walls and an asymmetrical sofa dominated the floor. She rolled her hips when she walked and glanced over her shoulder, giving Emma a wink as two of her guests shoved by in their haste to get to the basement. The kitchen was altogether different from the chic space Regina used for entertaining. Instead of modern art, her son’s finger paintings and drawings were stuck to the fridge and on the boy’s booster seat sat a stuffed bear that looked like it was expecting to eat dinner.

Regina beckoned Emma onward with a curled finger, and crucially placed her hand on the woman’s bicep. “My bedroom is just down this way,” she whispered.

Despite the short tour, Emma’s eyes had darted around, spotting the decadence of Regina’s home along with the proudly displayed artwork on the fridge and around the kitchen. Even at a glance it was clear that Regina was a mom – a good mom, who hung up her kid’s drawings. Somehow, that warmed Emma’s insides. Then again, maybe it was the alcohol.

Either way, when Emma’s gaze landed back on Regina, it never wavered again. From the strong, smooth shoulders to the shapely hips that beckoned her along, Emma knew she was in trouble, and hell, that was part of the appeal.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma’s look of total concentration and anticipation was enough to embolden Regina. She went down the hallway with a heightened awareness of space between them; she shut the door behind them and stepped in close to Emma. “I think there’s something else you wanted to see,” she remarked, and teasingly turned around as she undid the knot at the back of her bathing suit and slipped off the top. She reached for either of Emma’s hands and pulled them to cover her breasts. “And feel,” she added softly, as she leaned back into Emma. Her nipples were hard against Emma’s hot palms, and Regina relaxed against the taller woman, letting her head fall back on Emma’s shoulder. “You can touch, Emma. But I’m going to want a taste of you.”

It was no shock when Emma ended up standing in Regina’s room. It hadn’t been a tour so much as an inevitable destination and the sultry tease of Regina’s words coupled with the look she gave as she let her bikini top flutter to the ground was enough to still the breath in Emma’s lungs. She could have stopped her, she could have stepped back, but as Emma felt the soft warmth of Regina’s breasts pressed under her palms, all she did was groan. Regina’s confidence thrilled her in ways she hadn’t been expecting. Emma took full advantage and squeezed with both of her hands, her fingers roaming across Regina’s hardened nipples, pinching as she brought her lips down to brush against the woman’s ear. “What makes you think I won’t be tasting you?”

It was a roguish whisper as she let her hands glide down Regina’s sides. Mapping the beautiful curves with her warm palms, until she clasped the very hips that had lead her into the room and pulled Regina back against her firmly. “There’s a lot of ways I can feel you, Regina.” Emma stated breathlessly, her lips parting as she captured the shell of the woman’s ear and enveloped it in the warmth of her mouth to suckle gently. “Not all of them need to involve my hands.”

With a pleasurable roll of her shoulders, Regina pushed her backside against Emma and wet her lips tantalizingly. As Emma began to nuzzle her neck, Regina turned around and gripped the younger woman by the chin. She stared at Emma for a long beat and then her eyelashes fluttered over lust blown pupils. “True,” she husked with a scrunch of her nose, and backed Emma towards the bed. “But it’s my turn first.” Her hand went to the gusset of Emma’s bathing suit bottoms and she stroked along the damp fabric.

Emma quirked a golden eyebrow at Regina when the woman gripped her chin, and soon found her jaw dropping along with her bikini bottoms.

Regina pulled at Emma’s waistband and slid the red material down until Emma’s aroused sex was on view. Her palm possessively covered the apex between Emma’s thighs, her fingernails scratching lightly through the patch of thin gold curls. She thumbed the slippery, eager little nub she found there, and then bent forward to put her mouth on it. Her tongue gave a couple of soothing, fast flicks and her lips puckered around the sensitive area. “I want you on your knees…” she whispered.

Emma took a deep, slow breath as the warmth of Regina’s palm covered her. It wasn’t as if she’d never slept with anyone before, but the intensity of simply being held caught her off guard. Goosebumps broke out over her arms as Regina’s nails toyed over her sensitive skin, and then she rumbled softly at the delicious sensation of the woman’s thumb slipping between her moist lips to stroke her so effortlessly.

The heat of Regina’s skin set Emma’s blood on fire and she enjoyed the shuffled steps as they made it to the bed, like a sort of lovers dance as their hands roamed and bodies pressed together.

Regina shifted places with Emma, and their bodies joined, arms circling one another as each of them settled into the new position. “Thrust,” she purred.

It was easy to follow Regina, to be so thoroughly captivated by her that doing anything else seemed wrong. Which was why Emma found herself on her knees above Regina. The brunette situated herself back against her pillows and lay semi-propped up, with the kind of smile that beckoned Emma closer and promised she wouldn’t regret it. It held a predatory hunger to match the look in Regina’s eyes and the blonde cracked a slightly crooked smile in return. 

“Just like this,” Regina instructed, taking hold of Emma’s backside, as the woman began a slow rocking against her mouth. 

Careful fingers coiled around the headboard as Emma rocked her hips forward and towards Regina’s expectant mouth. If Emma hadn’t creased her forehead in apprehension, Regina would never have seen the flash of hesitancy, the pursed lips of concentration, as she tested this new position. Though mildly embarrassed when Regina clasped her backside to encourage her movements, Emma was never the less grateful, and let out a soft laugh as if expelling any anxiety. If anything, it was actually more arousing to feel Regina’s hands on her, moving her, wanting her. The rhythm was slow. Emma relaxed into it and slid her knees a little wider to lower herself a little more into Regina’s mouth. The fuller sensation of feeling the flat of Regina’s warm, wet tongue gliding over her evoked a hushed moan, and then another, as Emma began rolling her hips with more confidence, accepting all that Regina was offering with the intent to give it right back. 

"I’m getting the feeling I’m not the only one that’s trouble in this town, Miss Mills. I might have to keep an eye on you if I get the job on Monday.” It was an offhand quip that Emma couldn’t resist.

“Oh? I think you’re already learning how to keep me in line.” Regina’s burning, erotic look seared through Emma as she drove her tongue through glistening, pink folds. 

A breathy laugh punctuated a low moan as Emma caught Regina’s sass, but whatever she wanted to say in return stuck in her throat as Regina’s tongue slid expertly between her wet lips and caressed her in ways that left her trembling. Sweat glistened across her skin as Emma’s hips rolled faster, her breathing hitching while her blood boiled with need. It should have startled her how well Regina knew just what she wanted without so much as asking. 

Rumbling softly, Regina lifted her chin to take Emma into her mouth—she pushed her tongue underneath the stiff, responsive point that twitched with every attentive lick. She reveled in the feel of Emma’s bucking heat, the careful movement that made the younger woman’s knees shake and sweat run. “Don’t stop.”

Emma followed through, opening up her legs and lowering herself down to Regina’s waiting mouth with more urgency.

“That’s it,” Regina purred in satisfaction, as she squeezed Emma’s backside to express her approval. “Fuck me.”

Wet golden curls framed Emma’s face as she hung her head, eyelids heavy with arousal as she tried to look at the woman between her thighs. Regina’s soft, warm lips were almost as sensual as the exquisite curling and flicking of her deliciously wet tongue. Every warm breath from the brunette evoked a shudder from Emma, who in turn rocked with more vigor.

“I will.” Emma vowed thickly, “Gonna fuck you so hard.” It bordered on delirium as the blonde lost herself to pleasure. It was going to consume her entirely, and she was going to let it. The harder Regina’s fingers bit into her ass cheeks, and the firmer she rocked herself into the woman’s hungry mouth, the tighter her muscles began to tense up.

Between her own erratic breathing and moans there was the almost obscene sound of her wet folds rubbing over Regina’s chin while the brunette’s tongue worked her into a frenzy. Though it was the last, raspy bit of encouragement that caused Emma’s eyes to roll back, her body giving into intense spasm while her mind recalled the firework display from earlier. Emma froze with her back arched, hands tight around the headboard as a guttural sound clawed its way to freedom. When she could finally inhale a stuttered breath, she slid unceremoniously down Regina to do what she’d wanted since meeting the woman -- kiss her.

It was sloppy but enthusiastic on Emma’s part as she grinned into it, her tongue pushing past Regina’s lips to taste herself on the woman with a moan. Hell, it was a miracle she could even think enough to remember her name let alone control her body when it still pulsed with aftershocks that left her tingling. “You…” Emma accused breathlessly, “Are way too good at that.” Emma brushed her cheek against Regina’s as she laughed, shifting to whisper deviously, “But that’s okay, I’m good at things too.”

With that wicked little promise, Emma peeled herself off of Regina and made it off the bed and onto shaky legs. It took her a second to find her feet before she strode towards the chair in the corner and sank down confidently into. With a soft exhale, Emma caught Regina’s eye and slipped her bikini top off, just to crook a finger at the brunette afterwards. “I want you right here.” She pointed with a cocky smirk, “On my lap. And don’t even think about removing those bikini bottoms, Regina. Those are for me.”

Regina licked her lower lip and stretched catlike across the bed, then grinned coyly as she strode over and sat down in Emma’s lap. She gripped Emma’s biceps tightly and hooked her feet underneath the chair. “Who said you get to make demands?” she teased playfully. “I would say I gave you a very friendly welcome to this town.” With a meaningful arch of her eyebrow, she gyrated down against Emma’s bare thigh. “Are you going to be kind in return, or are you going to be rough with me? Because, Emma, I’m the type of girl who prefers a little pain with her pleasure. Can you deliver?” Mischief gleamed in her eyes and she ran the back of her finger along Emma’s cheek.

Emma’s hands clasped Regina’s waist and her eyebrows rose at the revelation that Regina desired a little pain. There was no judgment in Emma’s curious gaze, just wonderment as she mumbled into Regina’s mouth, “I think I can handle that.” 

Regina was surprised and even a little overwhelmed by how tenderly they gave and took from one another—she wondered if Emma truly could handle her request, or if the blonde would understand what she needed. Her head dipped down and she studied Emma’s collarbone for a long a moment as she got her bearings. “So I’m right where you wanted me,” she quietly reflected. “Now what?” 

Laughter bubbled up and dripped from Emma’s lips, “I guess I should get on with it.” True to her word, Emma encouraged Regina to stand up so she could sit sideways on her lap. With her left arm, the blonde circled the woman’s lower back and splayed her hand against her hip. Emma’s right hand trailed intently up Regina’s bare thigh and she hummed in approval as Regina parted her legs further.

Using the back of her fingers, Emma grazed her knuckles against the damp fabric of Regina’s bikini bottoms, then further up to scratch her short nails over the woman’s torso. Rough enough to leave vivid pink streaks over the smooth olive skin her eyes were feasting on before her hand gracefully delved under the fabric covering Regina’s most intimate areas. Heat washed over Emma in surprise. Perhaps it was naive of her to expect the feel of short dark curls under her fingertips, but now she couldn’t imagine Regina being any other way. Her fingers danced over such soft, smooth skin that for a moment she simply just explored the velvety warmth of Regina. “I bet you taste as good as you look. I can’t wait to find out.”

Emma grinned at the thought of being between Regina’s legs, but she had other plans right now. Tipping her head back to catch Regina’s eyes, Emma eased two fingers between Regina’s slick lips and further into the warmth of the woman. She paused, briefly, to circle lightly around the brunette’s entrance, and then pushed her fingers deeply inside her. There was no rush in it as she leaned into Regina and made the woman take every inch of her fingers. Emma wasn’t sure who moaned as she delivered open-mouthed kisses over Regina’s breasts, her teeth scraping over the sensitive flesh, fingers curling upward to caress inside the woman. That was when Emma began to thrust, her arm moving fast to plunge her questing fingers as deep as she could get them. Liquid heat coated her palm and she used her thumb to smear it over Regina’s sensitive bundle of nerves. It stiffened under her insistent strokes and Emma took one of Regina’s nipples into her mouth in a desperate kind of hunger. Teeth bit down just hard enough to hurt but not enough to bruise as the blonde added a third finger inside Regina and quickened her pace.

Regina’s thighs ached with tension from being so far spread, but a flutter of satisfaction began in her belly as Emma stretched her to complete fullness. She rode Emma’s skilled fingers until she was wet enough that she could hear the soft, slapping sound of their lovemaking. “I’ve always thought that you get to know the best and the worst of people in the bedroom,” she rasped. “And you, Emma… you’re very good. So good, but I want you to be bad for me.”

Her dark skin flushed a rosy color in the places where Emma’s mouth went. Regina stared down at herself, and watched every perfect thrust of Emma’s fingers into her bare sex. Emma’s eyes were also on her smooth, lower lips, and the tight little hole she was intent upon opening up.

Regina locked her legs around Emma and crossed her ankles. She continued her grind into Emma, until overtaken by a throe of pleasure.

Still, her breath hardly had the chance to steady before she gathered a sleek instrument from a hidden drawer. Regina held up the long, thick sex toy, made of a material that felt nice against the skin and internally. “I want you to wear this for me,” she explained. “Show me what you can do with it.”

Emma licked her lips and studied the harness in Regina’s hands, then agreeably put it around her waist and fastened the strap to keep it in position.

A nervous and slightly embarrassed laugh escaped Emma’s throat as Regina’s eyes devoured her. It felt strange, the sudden weight between her legs, and she glanced down with a bit of a crooked grin to see how she looked. Yeah, she’d heard of them, but she’d never seen one let alone worn one, yet she stood proudly as if pleased with it, thumbs hooked into the back strap. “So this is what you mean by bad, huh?” The corners of Emma’s lips pulled down in amusement as she nodded, her gaze shifting from Regina to the bed as ideas flurried through her mind.

“Let’s take this back to the bed and I’ll show you exactly what I can do.” Emma suggested coyly, her fingers snaring Regina’s hand to guide her onto the mattress. Granted, she had no idea if she’d use it properly, but she felt confident enough to go through with it. Or was that just excitement at the prospect of getting to use it? Either way, Emma would rather swallow her tongue than confess that she’d never used one before. “That’s it…” Emma coaxed, her knees sinking into the bed, “On all fours.” She paused, thought more on how bad Regina wanted her to be, and added in a sultry whisper, “I want that ass in the air so I have something to grab onto when I’m fucking you.”

Regina’s cool eyes flitted over Emma, as if she wouldn’t gratify the lewd demands of the woman, but a sly smile curled on her scarred lip and she lifted herself onto her hands and knees.

Emma situated herself behind Regina and took a moment to run her hands up the woman’s back, feeling the taut muscles and warmth of her skin. Regina was truly stunning, and if this was a one night thing, then Emma was going to appreciate the opportunity to touch her for all it was worth. “Do you have any idea how damn sexy you are?” Emma focused on her hands gliding over Regina’s perfect ass, squeezing each cheek to massage against her palms while her thumbs snaked down the groove between them. Parting them further to get a full view of everything on display for her. “So fucking beautiful.” Emma breathlessly groaned. Both of Regina’s little holes twitched with need and apprehension under Emma’s heavy gaze. It was obscenely arousing. One puckered while the other clenched wetly around nothing, desperate to be filled.

Regina tugged one of Emma’s arms around her waist, bringing their bodies close together again, but Emma’s weight and sheer presence stopped Regina in her tracks. It was an unfamiliar feeling to be in bed with someone like Emma—not because she hadn’t found herself in this situation before, being bent over by someone she barely knew, but because she wanted to trust Emma. She leaned back into the woman’s strong shoulders, and let Emma hold her for a passing instant.

“I know what you want.” Emma whispered warmly, her right hand cupping Regina’s bare sex to grind her palm against the warm slickness that coated it so deliciously. Emma then wrapped that same hand around the toy between her legs and stroked it, smearing Regina’s arousal along the thick shaft before she positioned the tip against Regina’s warm wet hole, teasing the first half-inch into it without going further. “I know what you need.” Emma stated wickedly, her hands slapping down on Regina’s backside to squeeze roughly. “You need me deep inside your pussy.” The blonde promised, her hands curling around the brunette’s hips just to pull Regina back against her first powerful thrust. “Open your legs for me, Regina. Let me fuck you.”

“You’re right. That’s exactly what I want,” Regina whispered, in a voice that lacked all of the bravado she’d put on display earlier. She was soft and affectionate as she directed both of Emma’s hands to grip near the divots along the slope of her back.

With a rotation of her hips, Regina took the toy partially inside of her, until the head rubbed against the receptive muscles in a way that pleased her. “This is what I’ve needed,” she admitted, although she wasn’t quite sure if she meant the sex, or if she meant sex with Emma—someone who seemed to care. She put on a show for the younger woman, and did exactly what was requested of her by raising her backside. Sensing that Emma’s attentions were focused there, Regina glanced invitingly at the blonde. “The benefit of this is that your hands can roam. Feel free to touch.” 

Emma gasped in surprise at the sensation that coursed through her from pushing inside Regina. Hell, she might not get to feel how wet and warm the woman was but she could feel how delicious it was in the push and pull of thrusting. She wasn’t settled into a rhythm so much as a haze of movement as she watched the thick shaft disappear inside the brunette’s slick hole, so vibrantly pink and inviting. The encouragement to touch brought her back to the moment, and she found herself leaning over Regina to press herself against the woman’s back. Pale hands roamed over olive skin, mapping the curves of hips and the soft rippling muscle that led her upwards until her hands clasped around the woman’s soft breasts. Squeezing gently, palming them fully as she caught each nipple between the web of her fingers to tease.

Regina worked herself on Emma’s cock, and with an undulation of her body, took the broad shaft in deeper. Her sleek pussy accepted the length and shape of the cock, although Emma could see how Regina’s small entrance gaped from its intrusion and squeezed around it. 

Sensing a vulnerability in Regina, or perhaps one she was projecting on her own, Emma brought her lips down to caress over the woman’s shoulder in soft, moist kisses. The roll of her hips was tentative now that she was bent over, and her cheek pressed against Regina’s shoulder. Emma sought out the woman’s ear to whisper huskily against it, her lips ghosting over the shell of it with every breathy word of her confession. “I’ve never used one of these before.” The blonde hid her face against the crook of Regina’s neck, inhaling the woman’s scent before she caught the flesh between her teeth and sucked gently. Not hard enough to leave a mark but enough to give her tongue the opportunity to taste the salty tang of sweat that clung like dew to Regina’s skin.

Emma kissed her way across the expanse of Regina’s back while her fingers played with the woman’s nipples, rolling them between her fingers only to pinch and tug. Soothing them afterwards with a soft caress of palm, only to repeat. Completely absorbed in Regina, Emma’s slightly awkward and tentative thrusts became more fluid now that she wasn’t fixated on it. Her hips rocked naturally, easing every solid inch into Regina’s gripping muscles and pulling it part way out again. The soft smack of her thighs reddened the brunette’s ass but she was too busy scraping her short nails down the woman’s torso to notice. “How’s this? Are you feeling good?” Emma asked, only to groan with arousal as her fingers slipped down the apex of Regina’s thighs and right between the woman’s bare slippery lips to stroke her sensually.

Regina’s skin was bathed in the evidence of how good she felt—the inside of her legs were covered in the sheen of their mingled desire, and a bead of sweat dripped down her brow. 

The sudden rush of release made Regina tense and loosen; she arched her back and then buckled, going limp on the bed. She nodded weakly to Emma, too overcome by what she was experiencing to speak. 

With both hands, Regina cupped Emma’s face and drew the younger woman into a kiss. “Stay here,” she demanded, grabbing Emma’s arms and pulling them around her shoulders. “Unless you’d rather go back to the party? I need a moment to recover and I’ll be ready to go again. I normally last much longer, but for an amateur, you’re very good with… ahem… that.’”

She turned off the lamp on the nightstand and melted into the darkness and Emma’s warmth. Her eyes were bright and happy as she studied Emma’s silhouette, and she idly ran her fingertips up and down the inside of her lover’s wrist. She hadn’t planned to end up in this situation with Emma, at least not so suddenly and recklessly, but she never had been the type to hesitate in a moment of spontaneity. 

Starlight seemed to tiptoe over the floor, sneaking closer to the bed. Regina angled herself so that her body was mostly covered underneath her summertime comforter and half draped over Emma. Her head found its way to Emma’s shoulder, and her arms snaked around the woman’s slim waist. She awoke hours later, content but confused. The sound of the front door opening and the shuffling of her guests going out to their cars made her eyes flick open and towards Emma. 

Regina shut her eyes again, and the next time she woke, sunlight was spilling into the bedroom. She slipped away without disturbing Emma, and went into the kitchen to make coffee. The house was in a state of disarray, but not nearly as bad as it had been the year prior. She prepared breakfast in her kimono and slippers, scrambling eggs and mixing the batter for pancakes since she expected Emma to have a strong appetite. Setting the table took more effort than usual, because it required moving empty wine glasses and plastic plates to the sink or to the garbage. 

As soon as the forks were laid on top of her cloth napkins, and she had cut up fresh strawberries to layer on top of the pancakes, she allowed herself to pause and glance in the direction of the bedroom. Never in the past had she become acquainted with anyone in such a short span of time, but Emma’s presence spread warmth through her and made her excited for the day.

For the first time since she’d bought the house across the street, Emma Swan slept. Not just lightly, but deeply. She dozed until the scent of food woke her and she padded into the kitchen in a t-shirt and shorts that Regina thoughtfully left out for her. 

Just as Emma crossed the threshold into the kitchen, the doorbell rang and Regina looked up at sharply. “Good morning,” she sighed out. “There’s breakfast if you’re hungry. Let me just see who’s at the door and I’ll be right back.”

Regina rushed off to see who was standing on her front porch. Her eyes narrowed in curiosity and annoyance when she spotted her guest, who looked nervous and was busily pulling at the pages of a novel in her hands. 

Mary Margaret caught the door before Regina could swing it shut in her face, and followed Regina into the house. “Regina,” she breathed out in a pleading voice. “I… know you hate it when I stop by without calling first, but you never seem to have the time when I try to plan something in advance.” She pursued Regina into the kitchen and smiled politely at Emma. “Oh…! You have a friend visiting.” She clumsily put her book down and then extended her hand in greeting. 

Regina tolerated Mary Margaret’s intrusion, but glared at her in a way that was deliberately unwelcoming. “This is Emma,” she begrudgingly announced. “She just moved in across the street. Emma, this is Mary Margaret.” 

Mary Margaret shifted uncertainly under Regina’s scrutiny, but beamed at Emma as though she regarded the newcomer as an immediate friend. She turned back to Regina and held out an envelope that was sealed closed by a shiny rainbow sticker. 

“What is this?” Regina huffed in disgust, but took the card out of a morbid desire to know what it contained. 

“It’s an invitation to a party,” Mary Margaret explained. 

Regina ripped at the paper, but she only needed to read one word of the message to know that she wouldn’t be attending. “I can’t make it. Emma invited me on a camping trip that weekend,” she lied. 

Mary Margaret’s eyebrows did a dance of shock at Regina’s implausible though well delivered excuse. “Oh,” she drawled out in uncertainty, with a quick and dubious glance between the two women. “Well, maybe you can both come to the party before you leave for your trip?” She wasn’t the type to be discouraged easily; her enthusiasm and kindness worked in her favor, but she also mastered the manipulative art of imposing obligations on others long ago. “James promised he’d come. He’s also bringing Henry.” 

The name James seemed to rile Regina further, but she schooled her expression to one of indifference. She flicked her long bang away from her eyes and crossed her arms loosely in front of her. It wasn’t until Mary Margaret mentioned Henry that she gave up on her display of neutrality; her lip curled bitterly, but she muttered a peaceable, “I’ll think about it.” and allowed Mary Margaret to delight in the perceived victory.

Emma cleared her throat and shot a questioning look towards Regina, but she kept her mouth shut. “You know what? I should get going. I have a lot of unpacking to do.” 

"Oh no, don't leave on my account, I was only stopping by," Mary Margaret hastily added, though her attention had now shifted fully to the new face in town. "I’ve seen you before in Granny’s diner, right? How are you enjoying Storybrooke so far?" It was easy to pry when each question was punctuated with a smile and sincere tone.

Immediately Emma felt uncomfortable, which meant she worked hard to conceal it and smiled back politely. "Yeah. I've been there a few times. Prices are reasonable, people are friendly, and I like their hot cocoa." With a slight shrug of her left shoulder, Emma continued as if sharing a secret, "They add cinnamon with no extra charge." It was a skill of her own, the art of divulging useless information in a way that seemed more than it was. It gave the impression that she was opening up when she had no intentions of it. The trick was all in the tone. "So far I like the place. Quiet town, the good fortune of great neighbors, enough sunshine to blind yourself with before storms hit in winter."

"We do have fun weather." Mary Margaret agreed, even as her eyes darted around the place, taking in the obvious remains of a party and the recently cooked breakfast for two. Privately she wondered if the newcomer had stayed the night, or if she'd simply volunteered to help with the clean up this morning. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but I’d best be off. I'm meeting Ruby for brunch." She supplied with a bright smile.

The gentle spoken woman turned to give Regina an imploring look as she headed towards the door. "Please try to make it to the party. You don't have to stay all day." 

Regina's huff of breath was all the answer Mary Margaret got, and having sensed the tension from the start, Emma felt inclined to stay out of it. So, rather than ask questions she had no right to ask, she wandered towards the breakfast that had been made and sank into the wooden chair closest to her. "This looks great, Regina. You should eat it before it gets cold."


	4. Chapter 4

To Regina’s surprise, her appetite remained intact in spite of her stepsister’s untimely morning visit. Her stomach grumbled as she took Emma’s advice and sat down at the kitchen table. All of her muscles still felt relaxed and loose from the night before, and she gave a pleasurable roll of her shoulders as she picked up her utensils. Offering a tiny smile to Emma, she began to cut up her own stack of pancakes, then layered her indulgent breakfast with syrup and melting butter that slid back and forth over the golden surface. “I hope you aren’t planning to run off after I feed you,” she smirked coyly. “After I clean up the debris from the party, how about an encore of last night’s performance?” She licked the syrup from her bottom lip and held Emma’s gaze. The younger woman flushed scarlet, and Regina shifted close enough to stroke the inside of Emma’s thigh. 

On the verge of initiating a kiss, the doorbell rang again and Regina’s look of total lust transformed into a glare of reproach for whoever stood waiting outside her home. “Just give me one moment,” she hissed under her breath, and then rushed to banish her unwelcome guest. 

Several thoughts fluttered through Emma’s mind at the invitation - or rather the request - but the moment Regina left, the only one that mattered was that she’d just swallowed a whole chunk of dry pancake and it had lodged itself in her throat. Hastily, Emma grabbed for her juice and gulped at it. The choking crisis was quickly averted and Emma gasped for air. Jesus, either Regina was a danger to be around or Emma was simply a danger to herself.With a shake of her head, Emma twirled the fork in her hand and stuck it into the stack of pancakes. If she had any hope of surviving their breakfast, she needed some damn syrup.

The doorbell kept ringing insistently until Regina swung the door open with violent speed. 

“James asked me to drop him off,” Ruby quickly explained and stuffed her hands into her jean pockets almost apologetically. 

Regina glanced down at the “him” in question. Henry removed his finger from the doorbell, then threw his chubby little arms around his mother. She instantly picked him up, balancing his weight on her hip. 

It was just like her ex-husband to bring an early end to his visit with her son. She always considered Henry hers and hers alone, even if her divorce papers stated otherwise. It would be just as well if Henry stayed with her all of the time, although Henry didn’t seem to mind the current arrangement. 

“Thank you,” Regina quietly breathed. She was grateful that she didn’t have to see James, and that Henry would be with her for another two weeks before returning to his other parent. 

“No problem. I need to get back to work, but I’ll catch you both later, okay?” Ruby patted Henry on the back, and the little boy nodded enthusiastically.

As Ruby hurried off, Regina stepped back into her house with Henry and hesitated on the threshold. She would have eventually introduced Henry to Emma, but the circumstances surrounding the meeting were not ideal. Would Emma flee, after all?

With a new tension building inside of her, Regina carried Henry into the kitchen and flashed a nervous smile at Emma. 

“Henry, I’d like you to meet our new neighbor. Her name is Emma.” 

Regina put Henry down, and her son wasted no time in sliding into the seat next to Emma. Henry squinted curiously up at the stranger, but didn’t speak. He swiped the hair out of his face and waited for Emma to make some overture. 

Emma had only just finished pouring the sticky syrup all over her plate. She blinked up at Regina, then found herself cocking her head as the little guy climbed onto the seat beside her and promptly began to stare expectantly. Emma froze. Her mind blanked and her lips parted for a startled, “Uh…” to escape. The boy carried on, perched on the seat without so much as swinging his little legs. Was that normal? Did children that age always have such focused attention and curiosity? 

Say something. The voice in the back of Emma’s head hissed. The rational thing would be to introduce herself, talk about all his art stuck to the fridge, or smile for christ’s sake. Instead, as Emma opened her mouth, she heard herself stating, “Hey kid, these pancakes are great, you want some of mine?” 

Awkwardly, Emma kept her eyes on Henry, acutely aware that Regina was watching her like a hawk. What kind of stranger offered a kid food off their plate? Probably the wrong kind, but she’d panicked. Introductions with people she could handle, but a kid? 

Henry shrugged his little shoulders then inched closer, his dark eyes never wavering from Emma’s pale face. 

Emma in kind merely gulped. What was she supposed to do here? Make an excuse to leave? Wait for the kid to lose interest? Just as panic began to set in, Henry raised a little hand to lean his cheek against, and balanced his elbow on the table. His eyes narrowed and Emma sucked in a breath, steadying herself for whatever would come.

“Do you like dragons?” Henry asked with all the seriousness of an adult. 

Emma’s eyes darted to Regina then back to Henry, and finally a smile began to tug at her lips. “Yes I do.” She agreed solemnly, and watched his little head nod in approval.

“Okay.” Henry said, then sat up straight with a grin, “We can eat pancakes now.”

It was the shortest, and oddest interrogation of her life, but as she watched Henry’s entire demeanor change as he wiggled contentedly in his seat, it hit her that maybe it had been the most important one, too.

Emma shot a questioning look towards Regina, seeking approval before she slid her plate closer to Henry and cut off a chunk of pancake soaked in syrup. His little fingers dove for it, squishing it between them as much as into his mouth with a delighted hum.

Regina only chuckled at the bizarre interaction and stepped forward to clean the syrup from Henry’s face. She kissed one of his sticky cheeks, and he laughed in delight when she vowed to eat him up. 

“Nooo,” Henry howled gleefully, and ducked behind Emma for protection. Unfortunately his interest in the food lasted only until the sugar began to kick in, and then he scrambled down the hall to his bedroom. He returned with a big toy truck lifted above his head, and a stuffed dragon tucked under his arm. “Em-ma, come on and play,” he pleadingly requested. 

He scooted under the table and pretended he was inside of a castle where his dragon slept. “Everyone shhh,” he warned. “Don’t wake him up.”

To appease Henry, Regina put a finger over her lips and shushed Emma, although she sensed Emma’s initial hesitation to join in on the game. She began to worry that she’d overwhelmed her new neighbor. When Henry ran off to find more toys, she turned to Emma and wrung her hands. “Is this alright?” she asked. 

Whether it was seeing the love between mother and son, Henry’s demand for her attention, or Regina’s look of vulnerability, Emma found herself nodding. “Of course.” She said, getting up to follow the tiny ball of excitement that rushed into the living room, “Who doesn’t like dragons?” It was a gentle quip that Emma made over her shoulder as she retreated, the corner of her mouth upturned in a smirk.

Sure, she hadn’t exactly had much experience with kids, other than avoiding them like the plague, but how hard could it be to play along? Emma enjoyed Henry’s enthusiasm and he had quite the active imagination. There was no doubt in Emma’s mind that Regina had a huge part in that, and it made her grin to imagine Regina reading bedtime stories about fantastical lands and creatures.

Henry emptied his toy box while Regina picked up the clutter from the party. He made Emma hold onto his stuffed dragon while he began putting up a wall of blocks around her.  
“So kid, what’s the plan?” Emma asked, sinking further down onto her knees to make his building blocks look bigger. The wall he built was getting taller, but nowhere near the height it would need to be to hide her. With a large hand she squashed the dragon down so that the tip of its head could no longer be seen. “Am I trapped in here with the dragon?”

“Yes, and you have to break free!” Henry exclaimed, bopping his head in excitement. “Or you’ll be stuck there for-ev-erer.” He continued to construct the wall, though it took a long time because he would only use blue and red blocks for the project and had to take a short break to use the bathroom. 

Regina hastened through cleaning so she could relieve Emma from her babysitting duties.

Emma remained in place, on her knees, practically sitting on her feet. Henry appeared contented and honestly for the first few minutes the blonde enjoyed herself. Rather, her eyes followed Regina around the kitchen as the woman cleaned up. Stretching and wiping and bending to pick up empty cups and plates. After ten minutes she’d begun to regret that decision for a variety of reasons. Her mind had wandered to places it really ought not to around a child. Cheeks red, Emma bowed her head and made an effort to pay attention to Henry as he built his wall. After twenty minutes she wondered why he’d picked only two colors of blocks, and the quantity that Regina must have bought her son—enough to build the wall of China. By now, her toes and ankles had begun to tingle; pins and needles were setting in.

Even after Regina finished throwing out the paper cups and plates from the party and restoring her furniture to its proper position, Henry refused to relinquish his newfound playmate. “Can Emma stay?” Henry asked, without giving any indication of how long he expected their new neighbor to entertain them. 

He shoved another block into its place and then considered aloud, “Emma likes cupcakes. Can we make cupcakes?”

“I didn’t hear Emma mention that,” Regina laughed cordially, lifting her eyebrows as she glanced over at Emma, who was now half hidden inside of the block tower. “Would you like to bake with us?”

Emma didn’t try to stand up in fear of having to sit through the remaking of the wall. She wasn’t surprised Henry used her as an excuse to make cupcakes, and honestly she felt grateful that his attention had shifted. She couldn’t feel her legs anymore. “You have no idea how much.” The blonde quickly replied to Regina.

Henry ran off towards the kitchen, his little hands raised in the air. Emma used the side of the couch as leverage as she tried to stand up. The sensation of blood rushing through her legs caused intense pins and needles and she hobbled slightly in an effort to walk it off. It worked, for the most part, until her foot landed on a stray block and she landed on her front with an ”Ooof.”

“Are you alright?” Regina stepped out from the kitchen with an apron wrapped halfway at her waist, and rushed to help Emma up from the floor. She grabbed the offending block and placed it out of harm’s way, then turned back to glance over Emma with new appreciation. “Henry is a very active child,” she explained. “Thank you for keeping him entertained.”

“I really didn’t do much,” Emma mumbled, brushing off the thanks with a crooked smile as she got back on her feet. Well, she wouldn’t be living that embarrassment down anytime soon. With an amused roll of her eyes, Emma shrugged and hooked her thumbs into the back pockets of the shorts Regina had been kind enough to lend her.

Regina took advantage of the fact that her son was out of view, and tenderly reached out to touch Emma’s shoulder. 

The gentle caress of warm fingers along Emma’s arm rooted her to the spot. There was no panic or nervousness—just a heavy, warm, attraction that settled itself low in her abdomen. Emma’s gaze trickled its way slowly down Regina before making its way back up to the woman’s eyes. She blinked slowly and gave a small smile.

Regina stood for so long facing Emma that she was startled when a set of small fingers latched onto the back of her apron and tugged. 

Henry also grasped Emma’s hand and began the futile effort of dragging her towards the kitchen. “Cupcakes,” he reminded them seriously, as if the delicious dessert took precedence over all other matters. 

Just like that, Emma’s attention was brought back to the moment by a little hand curling around her fingers.

Emma turned to look down at Henry with an amused grin. “Sorry kid, that was my fault.” She said easily, allowing herself to be pulled along. Unaccustomed to really being in the kitchen with a kid, Emma wasn’t sure what they’d be doing. It wasn’t until she noticed the cupcake batter had already been mixed that she realized their jobs were to simply appreciate that they were being made. 

Regina filled up two trays with her pre-mixed batter and popped them into the oven, then whipped the icing with Henry, allowing him to “assist” with the taste-tests. He held out a spoon for Emma to taste. 

Emma wasn’t offended; after all, she was terrible with baking. Taste testing, she decided, was probably the best job she could hope for.

While the cupcakes were baking, Regina took out paper and a box of crayons. “Why don’t you make our new friend a picture while we’re waiting?” she asked, then glanced at Emma. 

Henry eagerly agreed. “You and mommy color, too.” He pushed some paper at Emma, then scribbled loops of green and yellow on his own page. 

As Emma tentatively selected a crayon, Henry drew portraits of the important people in his life: his mother, his kindergarten teacher and the dog down the street. He finished with an illustration of his new friend Emma, which he proudly presented to her. The stick figure Emma had a lopsided smile, wavy yellow hair that floated over her head, and a sword that looked more like a club. 

The sound of crayon on paper intensified for several seconds as Emma hurried to finish hers when she caught sight of Henry waving a picture at her. “Almost finished.” She murmured under her breath. The tip of her tongue poked out from the corner of her lips as she worked. “There! All yours.” Emma announced, evidently pleased with her own masterpiece. Blue and red took up half of the paper in a tall wall, and behind it was a green scaly dragon with wings. In truth, it looked no better than Henry’s. She traded with him, and bit back laughter at the sketch of herself. “Thanks kid, I love it. You’re really good at drawing.”

“What did you draw?” Emma asked, turning to look curiously at Regina. One golden eyebrow quirked in question.

Regina combed the messy hair from Henry’s face and observed Emma with soft, doe eyes. She slid her own picture towards Emma. Following along with the theme of Emma and Henry’s artwork, she had drawn her new neighbor as a knight in chainmail armor. 

Emma waited for Regina to turn her back before she looked at the woman’s picture, a bemused look on her face. Eyebrows pulled together, the young blonde made an impulse decision and slipped the woman’s drawing under Henry’s, then folded them both and stuck them in her short’s pocket.

Henry reached for the drawing of the dragon and hung it on the refrigerator with all of his favorite finger paintings and drawings. “You’re the knight of the fri-gerator.” He lisped, and then came back to the table to sit in his mother’s lap. He began to play with Regina’s hair and leaned into her heavily, though he wobbled every so often on purpose and squealed out in laughter when she tickled him.

When Regina vacated her seat to check on the cupcakes, Henry climbed into Emma’s lap and began to twirl his finger around one of her perfect curls.  
It was strange, and incredibly awkward. At least on Emma’s part, as she stared wide eyed at the boy and forced herself to smile. It took a moment, but she finally worked out where to put her hands, and looped one arm around the toddler’s back to keep him steady. “You make friends pretty easily, huh?” It was a quiet question she didn’t expect an answer to; he seemed entirely taken by her hair. Henry nodded regardless.

He was still distracted when his mother crossed the room, but as soon as Regina placed a plateful of vanilla cupcakes in front of him, he snapped to attention. 

Greedily, Henry seized one of the cupcakes and licked off half of the gooey frosting before realizing he had a guest. “Here Emma,” he sang, and added a few extra sprinkles from the plate before handing over the soggy treat. “Try it.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Henry,” Regina smiled. She wanted to encourage Henry to share, but she also placed a fresh cupcake onto a smaller party plate and left it out for Emma. 

“Oh uh-” startled, Emma took the half eaten cupcake and quickly assessed the side that wasn’t covered in saliva. She’d eaten worse, and it wasn’t like the kid had rabies. With a shrug of her shoulders she took a small bite and handed it back to him. “Mmm, thank you, Henry, that was great.”

Delighted that his new friend approved, Henry went back to licking off the icing, smearing it over his face in his enthusiasm. Apparently he wasn’t worried about Emma’s germs either."I like Emma," Henry chimed. 

“You like Emma?” Henry asked his mother around a mouthful of cupcake, with crumbs and sticky frosting all over little fingers. “She won't leave. Right, momma?” 

Regina bent over the table to wipe off Henry’s hands, but froze at her son’s sudden line of questioning. “I think she’s going to stay for a while,” she quietly answered, 

“Good.” Henry had a vanilla ring around his mouth, but he seemed quite concerned for a three year old. He rumpled his brow meaningfully. “All your friends go away.” 

At first Emma had thought Henry had wanted her to leave, but as she listened to Regina and her son she was surprised it was the opposite way around. Regina clearly had a lot of friends; her home had been packed full of people enjoying themselves. Still, it made Emma wonder if she had people who stopped by regularly, or if they only showed up on nights when kids wouldn’t be around. There was a sense of sadness that surrounded Regina. Emma wondered if she had that same sadness—if anyone had ever saw it leaking out of her.

Regina let Henry finish his cupcake, and then brought him into his bedroom for a nap. “He doesn’t sleep for long, so if you want to make your escape, now’s the time to do it,” she remarked, holding Emma’s gaze for a significant moment. It might almost seem as if she was testing her son’s theory regarding the people in her life. 

Regina wasn’t gone long, and her quick return shook Emma from her thoughts. She remained seated as a physical declaration that she wasn’t going to go anywhere. “I don’t need to escape. I have a cupcake.” It was possibly the strangest thing she’d ever said, but at least she grinned. “I said I’d help with the clean up, and well, you took care of that already. Is there anything else I could help with? Cupcake clean up?” Emma quirked an eyebrow and gazed back at Regina.

Regina fingered one of her gold earrings and bit down on her lower lip as she moved closer to Emma’s chair. She lifted Emma’s chin and wiped a small smudge of frosting from the woman’s face, then licked it carefully from her own thumb. “I was thinking maybe I should clean you up. Shower?” 

Taking both of Emma’s hands in her own, she pulled her guest up from her seat and then re-positioned Emma’s strong grip on her waist. 

“Sure.” Emma mumbled between kisses. How the hell could she say no when her hands were on Regina?

Regina kissed the rest of the frosting from Emma’s lips, and then tugged her new friend down the hall and into her en suite. Her halter dress was easy to untie, and she hung it on a hook by the door as she ran the shower and waited for the water to heat up. She turned back to her guest and opened the zipper on Emma’s shorts. 

The young woman dropped her gaze to watch Regina’s fingers and with a low rumble, she rid herself of the rest of her clothes and followed Regina under the hot spray.

Regina stepped backwards into the shower and gave Emma her best “come hither” eyes. “This must be the strangest welcome you’ve ever received from a new neighbor,” she smirked, and pressed her naked torso into Emma. “You know, it wasn’t originally my intention to seduce you last night, but I don’t regret it. Hopefully you’re not having regrets, either.” 

Steam clouded her vision, but Emma still saw the smirk on Regina’s mouth as she confessed her feelings on what had transpired the night before.  
“Well it’s certainly the friendliest welcome I’ve ever had,” Emma laughed. Among other things, her mind added. Her hands found Regina’s hips of their own accord. Emma’s green eyes fixated on Regina’s plump, red lips and she husked honestly, “I definitely don’t have regrets.”

Somewhere, part of Emma worried that maybe she should have some regrets, or at the very least some caution. Yet standing naked under cascading warm water with Regina’s wet body pressed against her, she couldn’t bring herself to feel worry. Regina’s dark gaze was intense, and the second Emma looked at it she couldn’t stop herself from acting on her urges. One hand slid up the brunette’s back to cup the base of her neck, and with a gentle tug, she pulled Regina closer and captured the woman’s lips with her own.

The kiss was soft and unrushed, despite the small nip Emma gave to Regina’s bottom lip. She soothed it afterwards with a swipe of her tongue, all the while moving her free hand lower to grasp Regina’s backside.

With a tantalizing mischief in her eyes, Regina grinned into the kiss and opened her mouth to receive Emma’s tongue. 

Their faces were flushed and damp when Regina withdrew to find her sponge. She soaped up Emma’s muscled arms and taut stomach, concentrating on the gentle motions while also noting the woman’s subtle reactions to her touches. “Looks like you’re weak in the knees for me,” she smirked, and bent lower to scrub Emma’s legs. 

Her last order of business was to shampoo Emma’s hair, and she scratched with her nails to clean the pool residues from the woman’s scalp. She guided Emma under the warm water and raked her fingers through long blonde curls. 

Laughter bubbled up and dripped from Emma’s lips along with the cascading water from the shower. It was madness, wasn’t it? How alive she felt with Regina’s hands on her. How she forgot her past, her worries, and the fears that consumed her on a daily basis. They evaporated like the steam billowing around the room, and it was intoxicating. Emma had never been the kind to enjoy being washed by anyone other than herself, but there was a tenderness to Regina’s touch, a jovial carefree mannerism that evoked a sliver of trust that made Emma go along with it without question. 

Regina’s lips were close to Emma’s ear, and she whispered, “relax” as her fingers worked through sudsy curls. 

The hushed whisper in Emma’s ear all but melted the residual tension in her shoulders as she tipped her head back for Regina’s strong fingers to massage her scalp. Who knew having your hair washed could be so intimate?

It wasn’t the only thing Regina felt intent on massaging, Emma soon discovered as the woman’s hand cupped the apex between her thighs. The mixed warmth of the water and Regina’s palm was a sensory delight that had Emma biting her lower lip. Though it never silenced the soft, subtle moan of enjoyment that she sighed out. Taking advantage of the fact that her back was to Regina, Emma leaned into the woman, resting her head on the woman’s shoulder while her hand found Regina’s free one to clasp. Without hesitation, Emma began to guide Regina’s hand up her side, and over her breast with a squeeze of encouragement.

The mixed warmth of the water and Regina’s palm was a sensory delight that had Emma biting her lower lip. Though it never silenced the soft, subtle moan of enjoyment that she sighed out. 

Regina caresses made Emma unwind, and Regina stroked until she felt a responsive squeeze from the woman’s body. She held onto Emma’s shoulders and moaned softly as Emma began a steady bucking against her palm. Two of her fingers plunged inside of Emma and she kissed along her lover’s neck. “Open your legs, and let me inside of you – I want to feel you tremble as you give up all hesitation and come around me. Show me how much you need to be fucked.”

Taking advantage of the fact that her back was to Regina, Emma leaned into the woman, resting her head on the woman’s shoulder while her hand found Regina’s free one to clasp. Without hesitation, Emma began to guide Regina’s hand up her side, and over her breast in encouragement.

Emma gave a throaty moan when Regina’s fingers pushed inside her more firmly. Her slick, warm, walls clenched around the woman once her words hit. “The things you say, Regina…” Emma trailed off with a rumble of desire, her own hands stroking over Regina’s arms, and behind her, to grip at the woman’s hips and backside as best she could. Regina’s touches were heated, not frantic, and Emma wondered through her daze of pleasure if this was the definition of erotic.

Rocking her hips with uninhibited enjoyment, Emma slid her free hand over the one between her legs and rode Regina’s fingers with abandon. “Regina…” It was a breathy whisper as Emma felt the muscles in her thighs begin to tense with pleasure.

Regina gradually intensified her motions, thrusting more forcefully until Emma convulsed around her curling fingertips. She clutched Emma closer to prolong the feeling of fullness, and elicit drawn-out spasms of gratification. “You sound so good.” Steam clung to them, engulfing their rocking bodies in pleasant, thick warmth. 

Pushing Emma forward until the younger woman stood with palms pressed flat against the cold tile, Regina kept up with the demanding pace. She sucked on Emma’s earlobe, and bit down gently until she heard a responsive groan. Emma became stiff in her arms, grasping onto her and relishing every last soothing touch plied by Regina’s fingers. 

“Let me towel you off,” Regina murmured, after a while of holding Emma underneath the spray of the shower. She stepped out first and reached for a fluffy blue towel, which she threw around Emma’s shoulders as the blonde joined her. Her eyebrows lifted thoughtfully as she looked Emma over, then a playful smile pulled on her lips as she patted the woman dry. “Maybe we could see each other again some time this week? I mean, you do live across the street, so I imagine you won’t be a stranger…”

Emma tilted her head as she took the towel from Regina to finish drying herself off. It gave the woman time to get a towel too, and allowed Emma a moment to read between the lines of what had been said. Sure, the question had been almost teasing, but there was an element of worry that Regina had tried her best to gloss over. As if, perhaps, Emma would suddenly decided to avoid the woman from here on out. No doubt other people kept a distance after the parties she hosted, until the next one got thrown.

“I have the interview with the Sheriff on Monday, how about sometime that night? If I get the job we can have dinner and celebrate, if I don’t, we can have some drinks and commiserate.” Emma shrugged lightly but watched Regina’s face curiously. Finally toweled off, she quickly slipped back into the borrowed shorts and her top. Emma’s damp hair stuck to her but she didn’t appear to care as she followed Regina out of the bathroom and watched as the woman checked in on Henry.

“I better get going.” Emma whispered so as not to disturb him. Though she paused as if to reassure Regina that she wasn’t just vanishing. “If you need anything, you know where I am. I’ll be happy to help.”

...


	5. Chapter 5

_Monday – The diner_

Mary Margaret perched on a high stool with a cup of coffee in her hands and a book tucked carefully into her lap. She grinned ear-to-ear as she sipped at her hot coffee and traded gossip with Ruby. Every so often, she glanced down at the huge engagement ring on her finger and twirled it with a happy sigh, or peered around at the other patrons in the diner. All of the regular customers were at their usual tables with their standard orders -- but for a change, they tore their eyes away from the newspaper headlines long enough to take a good look at the door. 

The bells rattled frantically as Emma rushed into the diner. She ignored the way everyone followed her with their eyes, even if her skin prickled uncomfortably with the weight of their gazes. She shrugged it off and slid onto the stool next to Mary Margaret, despite the way her gut twisted at being forced to socialize with people when all she wanted to do was grab a coffee and settle her nerves.

Mary Margaret ambushed Emma with a bright smile and pulled her seat closer. “Oh, Emma, hi!” she cheerfully exclaimed. “We briefly met the other day at Regina’s house. It’s funny – she normally doesn’t make fast friendships, but she seems to have taken quite a shine to you.” Her eyes sparkled and widened the way they always did when she planned to meddle. “Anyway, how are you settling in?” she asked, though she didn’t wait for an answer. She barely stopped for breath after noticing Emma’s posture and telltale signs of an impending retreat. “Hey, as you know, my father’s birthday is coming up and it would mean the world to him if Regina attended his party. It’s been so long since she’s come to a family gathering. She mentioned that you might both stop by if you have the time. I can’t believe you talked her into going camping, of all things, and I still can’t get her to come to one of my parties!” 

The onslaught of information and questions was impossible to digest in the few seconds Mary Margaret paused, but Emma -- along with those sitting close enough to listen in – caught the gist of it. Emma turned her head casually just to watch people hurriedly turn back to their breakfasts, and their own conversations before she cleared her throat and forced a smile to curl her lips. “Hi,” she awkwardly coughed out. “I remember you. How is your morning?”

“I don’t think I talked her into going camping, so much as she took pity on me.” Emma relaxed her posture and smiled towards Mary Margaret in a way that convincingly soothed the woman’s ego. “I hardly know my way around town let alone the forests that surround it - I think she felt compelled to accompany me so I don’t end up lost or falling down a cliff or something. I can imagine the town paper’s headline already; _newcomer fool breaks arm falling down hill, lost for two days._ ”

Ruby smirked and poured a brimming cup of coffee for Emma, which she slid across the counter. “Mary Margaret talks a lot,” she apologetically explained, with a playful shove at her friend’s shoulder. “I really don’t know how she has so much energy in the morning. It’s not from this watered down coffee, that’s for sure--”

Emma shot a look of gratitude Ruby’s way as the woman placed a steaming mug of coffee down in front of her. Quickly, she slid a couple bills over the counter and curled her fingers around the ceramic. “She’s always like this in the mornings?” Emma enquired with an amused twitch of her lips. The indignant noise Mary Margaret gave caused her to quickly add, “No offense. I’m not exactly a morning person. I need a cup of this before I really get going.” Emma lifted the mug to her lips and took a large gulp, allowing the hot liquid to spread its invigorating warmth through her.

Mary Margaret shut her eyes for an instant, as if stuck—but then she was back to her perky self, sitting up and squaring her shoulders confidently. “No offense taken,” she insisted, straight-faced. “Really. I happen to think it’s a good quality of mine. But anyway, I just wanted to thank you for befriending Regina.” Her voice softened with sincerity, and she clasped her hands over her book. “It’s been hard for her to make true friends.” She trailed off, and bent her head in what could be perceived as guilt. “She’s changed so much over the years, and not everyone thinks it’s for the better. In part, I blame myself, though I’m not sure what I did. We were close when we were younger, and then all of the sudden it was like she resented me--” 

Emma wore a bewildered expression as she glanced between Mary Margaret and Ruby. It made her uncomfortable to be thanked on behalf of Regina, more so when the cheerful woman divulged more information than was probably necessary. Not that Emma let it show as she sipped at her coffee. Clearly there was friction between the two stepsisters, and evidently it was public knowledge at this point in the town.

Ruby gave her new friend a sympathetic smile, and then began re-filling napkin dispensers. “Emma doesn’t seem like the type to be swayed by public opinion,” she offered up, in a effort to steer Mary Margaret clear of controversial topics. “I mean, just look at that red leather jacket. She’s a rebel.” 

“A rebel with a cause, I hope,” Mary Margaret remarked, and brightened at her own cleverness. “I heard you’re meeting with the sheriff this morning, and chances are that you’ll be our new deputy.” She carefully smoothed down the end of her dress, unwilling to acknowledge where she heard that little rumor. “This town will likely bore you. Nothing ever happens here—nothing remarkable, anyway. Do you have much experience in law enforcement?” 

Raising her eyebrows, Emma turned on the stool to _really_ look at Mary Margaret, and took in the way the woman avoided her gaze. “Oh yeah, I wonder where you heard that?” The tip of Emma’s tongue pressed against her back molars, then she shook her head and finished off her coffee in a several quick gulps. “I think plenty happens here, at least if you’re to believe what you hear down the grapevine. Which I’m guessing a lot of folks do.”

Setting her mug back on the counter, Emma stood up and gave a nod to Ruby, then turned to Mary Margaret, “I better get going. Wouldn’t want to be late.”

Mary Margaret appeared a bit miffed by the sudden end to the conversation. “Don’t forget about the party!” she urged, but Emma had already gotten to her feet and started for the door. 

It didn’t take long to get from the diner to the sheriff’s station. Graham kept Emma waiting for fifteen minutes before emerging from his glass cubicle, but she had plenty to think about until he appeared. 

“Sorry about that,” he lilted with an apologetic squint of his eyes when he finally came out to greet her. “Had to attend to an important matter brought to me by the mayor’s office. Why don’t you come in and have a seat?” He gestured Emma her to take the chair across his desk, and then opened up a box of pastry. 

Raspberry strudel and vanilla frosted donuts peeked out at Emma, and Graham instructed her to help herself. 

“There’s an application form I need you to fill out, but for now maybe you could tell me a bit about yourself,” Graham suggested. “There isn’t much competition for the job, yet I’m still required to conduct a formal interview. Would you consider yourself a people person?” Relaxing back in his swivel chair, he took a large bite of crème donut and watched Emma attentively. 

Whether or not Emma felt confident, she certainly portrayed it as she sat down and took one of the frosted donuts before so much as greeting the Sheriff. She reclined in her seat and bit into the treat as she gazed back at Graham. “You know it’s funny…” she began softly, “I can count on one hand the amount of people I spoke to about coming here for an interview, minus a few fingers, and yet, this morning it was the talk of the town.”

Probably not the best way to start off an interview but hell, if he wanted to suss her out she might as well make it easy for him. Leaning forward, Emma pressed her elbows into her thighs and shrugged. “Am I people person? No, not really. I like to keep my personal life private. Does that mean I’ll find it hard to protect the people in this town or do my job? Not at all.”

Graham set his donut on the desk and flexed his fingers over his head as he considered Emma’s frank speech. “If you mean to imply that I went out of my way to tell anyone about your interview, you’re mistaken. Look, I had to cancel a meeting with town hall to keep this appointment, and the secretary there likes to talk. Maybe she spread the word about your interview. You like your privacy? I would suggest you get a little less attached to it living in this small town, especially if you plan to continue rubbing elbows – or whatever else – with Regina. You can be blunt with me, but I’m also going to be blunt with you. The citizens of this town form alliances quickly, and they can be quite ruthless. Now, I personally think you and I will get along just fine, but if you piss off the wrong person, both of us will suffer for it.” He picked up the application form and thrust it across the table at her. 

“Nice.” Emma retorted without any hint of amusement while watching the Sheriff’s demeanor change so dramatically. “You could have laughed it off, said that news travels fast in a small town, but hey, you’re honest in your aggravation and now I at least know who I could be working with.” If that was how he spoke about his friend, was becoming a deputy really worth it? Given how jovial and laid back he had been at the party, and how he was now -- well, it said a lot. A look of disdain colored Emma’s face at the way he shoved the application form towards her and she decided right then and there that she didn’t give a damn what he thought of her. She didn’t have to get along with him to work with him, and a pay cheque was a pay cheque. Dropping her donut back into the box, Emma took a pen off his desk, and filled out the application in her crooked penmanship, then slid it across to him in much the same fashion it was done to her.

Graham remained silent while she was writing, but he collected the application swiftly when she finished and gave the document a cursory once-over. “That’s fine, then,” he murmured, and began rubbing at his beard. “Emma, I didn’t mean to upset you. I hope you know that. I just want to prepare you for what might come. Usually this town is dead quiet, but sometimes certain people will step on others’ toes, and then we’ll have to mediate. No hard feelings, okay? Regina seems to think you’ll be a good fit for the job, and so do I. “ 

“Sure.” Emma murmured casually, “No hard feelings.” That didn’t mean she had to forget it, but she could let it go.

Graham opened his drawer and plucked out a badge, which he passed across the table to her. “I’ll order you a uniform. The job is yours if you want it, pending town hall’s approval.”

Surprise caused Emma’s eyebrows to arch, but she still picked up the badge to look at skeptically. “What about your other applicants?” She queried suspiciously. Against her better judgment, she couldn’t seem to get herself to put the badge back down. Her fingers curled around it as if it could be taken from her any second. “Shouldn’t you wait until you see them, or get town hall approval or something?”

“There’s little point,” Graham insisted, and folded the application into an envelope, which he sealed and stamped to be sent off to town hall. “One advantage of being the sheriff of this quiet, small town is that I have the freedom to hire whoever suits me. You suit me. I’d ask you to begin today, but I can’t get you on payroll until next week. So just be here next Monday sharply at 9 o’clock, and in the meantime, perhaps I’ll see you around town.”

Not one to turn down good fortune, Emma merely nodded her thanks and stood up. She kept the badge clutched against her palm as she picked up the rest of her donut with her free hand. Well, it was technically her breakfast. “I’m not going to argue with that. I guess I’ll see you on Monday--” Truth be told she was still a bit startled that she’d gotten the deputy position, but Emma paused before leaving to offer a slight smile, “boss.”

She completely missed the not-so-subtle way that Graham’s hand fell back to his phone, as if he intended to place a call right away. He waved her off and began dialing once she was out of view. “I took care of it,” he calmly stated, and then turned to watch Emma go.

Once Emma was back on the street, the sun in her face and the cool breeze whipping her hair back, Emma let out a deep breath. She’d gotten the job. She’d actually gotten the dang job. A quick check of the clock tower showed it was pushing towards ten, and that seemed a reasonable enough time to knock on a neighbor’s door. Emma high-tailed it to her car and drove back to her place as nervous excitement frothed inside her stomach. Okay, so the day had started off a bit rocky but here she was with a deputy badge and next week she’d even have a uniform.

Pulling to a stop outside her house, Emma took her time locking the vehicle before she sauntered over to knock on Regina’s door. She quickly secured the badge to the top of her pants and hooked her thumbs in her pockets as she waited for the woman to answer.

Regina came to the door in an ivory strapless bikini and a delicate, tiffany blue cover-up that draped low given her small stature. “I didn’t expect to see you so early,” she remarked, drinking in the sight of Emma and the glinting badge affixed to the woman’s jeans. “Congratulations are in order, I see. Come on in – Henry is visiting with his grandmother today. I was just about to go for my morning swim. Care to join me for a few laps?” 

She strolled through her house with a gentle sway of her hips, attracting Emma’s eye. “Do me a favor, and rub some of this coconut oil on me?” she requested, handing Emma a gold bottle with tropical designs on the label. 

Shedding the cover-up, she laid herself down and stretched over her lounge chair. She bit back a small smirk and removed her bikini top, then tugged off the bottoms. “You don’t mind, do you?”

Engaging in such provocative behaviors before noon hadn’t been her plan, but Regina ached to feel Emma’s hands on her body again.

The tempting offer to join Regina in the pool almost won Emma over as she shed her jacket and took the bottle of lotion from the woman. “I’m fresh out of swimsuits this morning but I might dip my toes in.” She joked, uncapping the lotion to squeeze a liberal amount into her palm. It wasn’t until after she’d capped it that she noticed Regina had removed her bikini. The woman had spread herself against one of the lounges, exposing the expanse of her back and her bare backside. “I don’t mind at all.” Emma heard herself saying thickly. 

Still, Emma was conscious of the time of day, and while she enjoyed taking her time massaging the oil into Regina’s gloriously soft skin, she didn’t take any liberties. Instead she made sure her massage was thorough in a different way, by finding little knots of tension and working her thumbs into the muscles along Regina’s neck and back. She delivered the same treatment to the woman’s calves and thighs. It was slow and methodical, and she watched the way Regina sank further into the lounge chair.

Regina hummed deeply in appreciation as the stress melted out of her and left behind nothing but wakes of pleasure. She chose to stay in her full sprawl, but turned her chin so she could gaze at Emma on the adjacent lounge.

“I hope that wasn’t too bad.” Emma murmured, finally sitting back herself. She smirked slightly at Regina’s relaxed form then added mischievously, “So, I hear our camping trip is pretty soon.”

Regina’s cheeks tinged ever so slightly red at the mention of the fictional trip. She slipped back into her bikini while avoiding Emma’s eyes, and then stepped into the pool to wade in the shallow end. “Yes, I’m sorry I used you as an excuse to get out of that family party,” she quietly rumbled. “Consider it a favor I’m quite willing to repay one day.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Emma said lightly, the corners of her mouth tugging downwards as she nodded. It wouldn’t hurt to have an excuse to get out of something later down the line, for whatever reason. “Don’t worry,” the new deputy intoned, “I saw Mary Margaret at the diner this morning. When the topic of camping came up, I actually said it was my idea, and that you offered to join me to stop me from getting lost or injured since I’m new to the area - not that you were enthusiastic about camping.” Emma shrugged, her shoulders moving lazily much like the smile on her lips.

Perhaps it said something about her, how easily she could roll with a lie without batting an eyelid. Maybe she wanted Regina to know that. To understand on some level - that it didn’t bother her that she’d been the first person that had come to mind when Regina was scrambling for an excuse to get out of the birthday party. Emma didn’t push to know why. In her mind, anyone running away from cake had a pretty damn good reason. Judging how quickly the topic made Regina uncomfortable, well, Emma knew better than to pry. She’d hate if someone tried that with her.

Regina’s demeanor shifted considerably, and she dove under the water to conceal it. As she resurfaced, she blinked rapidly and forced a deceptive grin onto her face. “If you don’t have plans next weekend, we could actually go camping. I’m not the best at putting up a tent, but I make a killer s’more, if I do say so myself.” The camping trip sounded better and better, especially because she would be unreachable and far away from Storybrooke. The likelihood of Mary Margaret interfering was slim, and while the town celebrated her esteemed stepfather, she could be nestled into Emma’s athletic arms. “What do you say, tiger? Are you up for it? It’s the perfect weather for sleeping outdoors.”

Emma laughed slightly, her head tilting to the side as her eyes followed Regina in the water. “Lucky for you I know my way around a tent.” Growing up in unstable environments, bouncing around from place to place before just running off on her own, Emma had learned pretty quickly that sleeping in a tent out in the woods was a lot less scary than some of the homes she’d found herself in. “I was going to suggest we just head out of town and find a motel or something for a day or two but if you’re making s’mores? Then I’m definitely up for it.”

“Shacking up in a motel with me would be bad for your image,” Regina considered aloud, with both hands resting on the gentle curvature of her hips. “S’mores are the safer option, assuming you don’t want my family to get their claws into you. But I don’t mean to make them sound like a pack of wolves - not really. I’m sure you’ll meet them all at some point. I have no doubt they’ll beguile you, like they do with everyone else.” Snagging a towel to wrap around her waist, she traipsed around the patio and fetched a few glasses from her bar to fill with orange juice. 

It was on the tip of Emma’s tongue to point out that nobody would know they’d be in a hotel together once they were outside of Storybrooke, but she shrugged instead because it truly didn’t matter to her. Emma quirked a golden eyebrow then frowned as Regina went on to talk of her family. The choice of words were telling, and before she could stop herself Emma stated, “Hey, nobody is going to fool me or take me away, I have a pretty good lie detector built in. I can spot bullshit when it’s being wafted in front of me.”

“Well -- Mary Margaret is the least persistent of them all, just to give you an idea of what you’d be up against. Speaking of Mary Margaret -- I believe she spread the juicy gossip about our little sleepover. Everyone knows about it. Somehow the town is going easy on you, though. They seem to have the impression that you come from a well-to-do family, or at least that’s the most realistic theory that’s been proposed. I’ve also heard that you’re a CIA agent, and a relative of Clint Eastwood. They’re all convinced you’re a very important person.”

Emma scrunched her face up. “For a small town the place sure is filled with people who like to talk a lot about things they know nothing about.” Herself included, apparently, because the guesses the town made about her were all ridiculous. “Seriously? So I’m a wealthy C.I.A. agent related to a movie star? That’s what the town thinks? Well, they sure are going to be disappointed when they find out I’m nothing but an orphan, and not a particularly wealthy one either. I’m not important at all.”

“Well, you’re certainly interesting enough to capture their attention and keep them talking.” Regina passed a glass of juice to Emma, and sat down in her lounge to soak in the rays of sunshine. “So, where shall we go for our celebratory dinner tonight? I sense you have things to do this morning, since you’re not making yourself comfortable.”

Offering a soft smile in return for the glass of juice, Emma took a liberal sip before announcing, “Oh I uh, didn’t want to assume that you’d be free all day. I figured I’d head out and, uh, do some shopping, then get ready for tonight.” Yeah, the shopping would be for clothes more than anything else, and maybe she’d stop by one of those places that sell various perfumes and colognes. “Where would you like to go for dinner?” Emma tipped her head to the side as she watched Regina bask in the sun, then added lightly, “I mean, you know the town better than I do. I’d hate to take you somewhere that was awful.”

“There are precious few options.” Regina appeared to be deliberating, as her brow furrowed thoughtfully and she worried her lower lip. “We have a diner, a pub and two restaurants. I suppose we could go to Tony’s, if you’re in the mood for Italian.”

It was unclear whether Emma intended the “celebration” to also count as a date, but Regina chose the most romantic setting anyway. She had no idea what to expect, since she had never been on a date in the traditional sense. Her heart beat faster in nervous excitement, though pessimism won out in the end and she sobered herself. “I’ll see you to the door?” she quietly offered. 

Sappy couples always flocked to Tony’s, and Regina briefly wondered if that fact would be lost on Emma. While they shared an intense physical attraction, they weren’t _together_ – and while everyone seemed to be in awe of Emma now, they would eventually judge her harshly for associating with Regina. Nothing good could come of it – and yet Regina ignored her well-founded fears, because she desperately wanted to spend time with Emma. 

Distracted as she was, Regina somehow glided through her house and ended up in her foyer. She lingered in the doorway with her eyes on Emma’s mouth, and sucked in sharp but deep breath that expanded her chest slowly when she exhaled. “Have a good day, Em-ma,” she rasped. “I can’t wait until tonight.” 

Having made no set plans for dinner, Emma nodded her goodbye to Regina with a crooked smile and stepped off of the woman’s doorstep with a breezy, “Yeah, you too. I’ll see you this evening.”

In truth, Emma had chosen not to specify where they may or may not be dining later, because it gave her the chance to check the recommendation out. This felt particularly important given that she planned to dress for the occasion, but more than that, it alluded to what Regina anticipated the night to hold. Whether it was drinks and good food or something more, Emma was going to find out. 

Though she returned home first, Emma only vanished for about ten minutes before her yellow bug roared back to life and she headed straight into town. Now with a full wallet and a mission on her mind, she parked near the town library and wandered down main street. Instinct proved to be right as Emma soon encountered Tony’s, and a quick peek through the window said it all. Though it was hardly reaching noon, the place seemed packed with couples having lunch together. Unlit candles sat on the table to be used later that night. The tablecloths were a deep, rich red and the décor matched. Dark wooden tables created an intimate setting, and even in broad daylight, there were people feeding one another. Evidently Tony’s was anything but casual, even on a Monday. 

That knowledge evoked butterflies to suddenly take flight within Emma’s stomach, and she licked her lips nervously. Swallowing thickly, she darted towards the door before anyone caught sight of her and thought she was a creeper. If Tony’s was this full during the afternoon, it would be damn near impossible to get a table at night. Pushing her way inside, Emma took note of the soft music that hit her and smiled warmly at the guy behind the podium waiting to seat whoever entered. 

“Table for one?” He enquired with a soft smile, already shifting as if to lead her through the restaurant.

What if she was getting the wrong impression and jumping the gun? What if Regina didn’t want something like this; what if Regina didn’t view this as a date? 

_A date_. The thought could have winded Emma, and she stopped in her tracks as her mind went into over drive. Fuck, did _she_ want to go on a date? If the fluttering in her stomach was anything to go by, then apparently- 

“Yes.” Emma suddenly blurted confidently, then shook her head to snap back to the moment. “I mean no, I’d like to book a table for two for seven tonight, if any are available, please.”

“Ah.” The man nodded with amusement, “Why certainly.” He hummed softly as he went through the book before him, then grinned, “Here we are. Now, what is the name?” He asked, pen in hand.

“It uh -- it’ll be for Swan,” Emma admitted, feeling slightly flustered, but when he didn’t gawk at her as the new girl in town, she almost relaxed. “Thank you.”

Now that the restaurant was taken care of, Emma only had to worry about herself and finding something fantastic to wear. As she made her way down the street, she couldn’t help but wonder what time the florist closed.


End file.
